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  1. training audit team leaders

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    I had a big problem trying to get the building contacts and all the teams on the same page to meet. And most of the building contacts were being very unresponsive. So I changed up the plan a little. I'll be meeting with the team leaders and any other members who can attend at the Intensive English Institute (since they were being the most accessible) and will be training them all at once. 

    I went to the buildings that weren't responding and sat down with the contacts, a few are allowing me to key the teams in after 5pm/weekends to avoid interruptions and help them finish quicker. Only 1 building of the 9 has been able to elude me, I'm going to try again tomorrow. 2 others said they could get back to me by wednesday. 

    A few of the teams expressed willingness to work the week after thanksgiving break too if necessary to complete all 9 buildings.

    -Tom

  2. Update from Tom

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    This week was a setback. I'm trying to get availability schedules from the building contacts to give to the students so they know when they can and can't be in certain rooms as it was expressed as a concern from a few responders about interruptions. I asked if we could have access on the weekends and/or during after hours to make it easier, a few are open to it. Only 1 of the teams set up a meeting with me this week, the others have said they are available next week. I cancelled the meeting with the one team because the building I assigned them did not let me know when I could do a demonstration there. I wasn't comfortable with just barging in and poking around. There is still 2 weeks left till thanksgiving, and if these contacts decide to follow through and allow us in after closing or on the weekends, I'm very certain all the buildings will get done. I think the students are having trouble organizing when they can meet during normal work hours because thats also normal class hours. I'm in contact with all the team leaders and I'm doing my best to stay organized with their times. I'm following up with the building contacts today, and monday to try and push them to get me the availability schedules. If they are still taking too long to respond, I can gauge which teams will be willing to work after thanksgiving break if necessary.

  5. draft charge letter for teams

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    see attached first draft

    Also Morgan,
    I forgot to copy you for a couple e-mails with Eva Sweeney. We just met today at 1pm, she had some good input. The most important was probably that the lighting retrofit project has already done lighting assessments for all the buildings on campus, she said she can send them to me once I let her know what buildings we were planning on doing. I guess they are upgrading all flourescents from T-12 to T-8 bulbs. So for the sake of not duplicating information we could remove checklist items: count total number of lights, and note wattage used by each light. But she did suggest looking at exterior lighting: if they are working, if they are bright enough, if there are dark areas that require more lighting (for safety), and what type of lighting it is. She also suggested to think about where occupancy sensors could be used.

    I'm going to meet with Dean at 2:30 today to go over the checklist again as well.

    Attached Files: 

  7. to do list for Tom

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    Hi Tom,

    Amy Allen will be our contact with the SSC this year.  She and I are sitting in my office, and sending you this email about first steps. Please do the following, and let us know if you have questions.

    1)      Summarize the history from last year.  DUE 9/12/11

    a.       Ask James Hoffer to give you the contact information from each of the five teams last year.

    b.      Ask James for the documentation of what they were told to accomplish for the $500. - There is a concern that the work completed was not the work requested, and therefore the funding is not approved yet.  If we can get details of what James told the groups they had to do for the funds, then we could compare their final reports with the expectations.

    c.       Ask James for the copies of their final submittals. - The actual reports from the teams may have had additional information, not just what was on the small excel files I have seen.  Please get a copy of those excel files, and any other materials the teams provided to James last spring.  Did they use the sample assessment form from the Training Manual?

    d.      Make a list of all the buildings they did, and note if any of them do not need additional data gathering.

    e.      Write a brief opinion, based on your data gathering: did the teams do what they were supposed to do for the money?

    2)      Finalize the to do items for each team for each building.  Write a charge letter for the teams.  DUE 9/30/11 - but get a draft by 9/19/11

    a.       Take the to-do list you created from James' manual, with Dean's notes about the F&S shop that would handle it.  Remove the items that
    are not on our list of selected items to review.

    b.      This is the list of selected items to review, per our notes this summer: "We're going with electronics, lighting, faucet aerators and running toilets, and weather stripping for student tasks."

    c.       Draft a charge letter for the teams, based on the to do list. We can talk about this more once you are ready to dig in.  Basically, this needs to document what the teams have to do in order to earn the money.  We agreed to give them $150 per building.

    3)      Solicit 4-7 teams. DUE 9/30/11 - for asking them in the first place...

    a.       Take a look at who worked with James last year, and ask them if they want to participate this year.  You can let them know that the process is being revised, and you can try to avoid the question about the funding from last year.

    b.      (If they want more details about last year's money, tell them you will ask me.  Then send me an email and copy them.)

    c.       Reach out to other RSOs that may want to participate this year. For starters there is a huge list of RSOs on the Illini Union's website. You can grab president emails from that site somehow, and send a big email, or you could pick and choose RSO's that you think would be interested.  Amy can also give you suggestions.

    d.      Draft an email explaining this opportunity.  Amy, Dean, and I will review the email before you send it.

    We will have plenty more to do after this part.  We will need to hold a meeting with all the teams, Dean, Amy, you, and me.  We will need to identify which buildings each team will review, and a process for evaluating their reports such that they can be approved for the funding. We will need to get estimates of the costs, so the teams can prioritize the work to do based on the funding from Dean's office.

    It would be good to make a networked folder for all these materials, if James didn't already create one.  We really need more organization this
    time, and I have every confidence that you can take care of that. 

    Please send me and Amy your schedule.  We would also both like to be copied whenever you send any emails about this program.  Let us know if
    you have any questions!!!

    Thanks,
    Morgan
     

  9. SSC and F&S work to develop a conservation fund

    Associated Project(s): 
    Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)

    During the summer of 2011, the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) Chair, Suhail Barot, and the F&S Sustainability Coordinator, Morgan Johnston, worked with the Utilities and Energy Services Division of F&S to develop an energy conservation fund.  Discussions included topics such as:

    • source of initial funds
    • qualification requirements for projects
    • selection process for funding
    • resources needed to manage the fund and process

    One comment made by the Director of Utilities and Energy Services, Kent Reifsteck, was that this is a "fund for departments to access to allow them to implement energy conservation measures in order to take advantage of the Energy Incentive Program."  The incentive program was next step#2 from the Utilities Stewarding Excellence report. 

  10. Tom, Suhail, and Morgan met to discuss next steps

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    We're going with electronics, lighting, faucet aerators and running toilets, and weather stripping for student tasks.

    Right when I get back on campus, I'll contact you to get me started on getting set up at F&S. Then we'll finalize a plan, and start recruiting people early september. From mid september to mid October, I'll be doing a test run on a house to note how long it takes, and to familiarize myself with what needs to be done by other students. I'll spend a few days training them, and then they'll take from mid october to november to complete their jobs. In the meantime i'll meet with them weekly and give you and Dean updates. We'll have them do 1 house at a time to better track their work quality. Up to the final weeks of the semester they'll write reports and in the spring they'll do a presentation about the whole process and what not. They can earn up to $500 for good work.

    ~Tom

     

  12. draft checklist for new teams

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 9:03 PM, Johnston, Morgan (Facilities & Services) <mbjohnst@fs.uiuc.edu> wrote:

    Hi Tom,

    I want it translated into a "to do list."  So, we do not need a summary, or pictures, or an intro.  Just the list of things to do.  You asked if I want a list of what students would be doing, and that is essentially what I want.  The only clarification is that I don't want it evaluated for whether students or someone else would do it, just make a list of everything it says to do.  Put the list in Excel, or make an unformated list in Word (not bulleted) which I can cut and paste into Excel.

    This is a really helpful step, so we can review the list with Dean Henson (over building matinenance) and select which items the student groups should do this fall.

    Looking at it more closely, I think you need to just go through pages 8-14.  The first page's list would be something like this:

    • do the pipes have insulation on them?
    • where are the ducts located (inside or outside)?
    • check the type of heating system used
    • check the fuel type used, if applicable
    • check the location of the heating system
    • check how many space heaters are used in the building
    • check the type of cooling system used
    • check the location of the cooling system
    • check the furnace efficiency label
    • check when the filter was last changed/how dirty is the filter?
    • record the filter size

    Once you get the draft list written, please email it to me.  I'll set a time for us to talk about it and move forward.

    Thanks a ton for your help!

    Morgan

    From: Thomas Ferrarell [mailto:tjferrarell@gmail.com]
    Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 4:58 PM
    To: Johnston, Morgan (Facilities & Services)
    Subject: Weatherization Project

    Hi Morgan,

    I've read it through a few times and I'm wondering how you would like me to summarize this. Have you read it? Even though it is 32 pages, it is a fairly quick read. The first section is a list of the process that already felt like a summary of the following 10 or so pages. The rest is descriptions of the types of windows, doors, etc, and the tools used, as well as some sample forms. I'd rather ask a potentially stupid question than make a potentially stupid stupid summary. Do you want me to pick out tasks that students would be doing and thats it? or summarize the entire manual?

    -Thomas Ferrarell

     

    Attached Files: 

  13. Campuswide Occupancy Sensors

    Associated Project(s): 
    Occupancy and Daylight Sensors
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    In 2008, $50,000 was awarded to Facilities and Services to install occupancy sensors in 272 rooms across 10 highly-visible campus buildings. Where in use, the automatic lighting controls reduce energy usage by 30% (total savings of $11,900/year plus inflation) and greenhouse gas emissions (by 88,000 lbs CO2, 323 lbs of NOx, and 1,079 lbs SOx per year). The sensors are a daily reminder to students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the University of Illinois’ commitment to sustainability.

    Attached Files: 

  14. Student Weatherization Assessment Program Plan

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This pilot program will take place in the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 semesters with the objective of creating and sustaining a student weatherization program.  The program will involve assessments of campus buildings, which will be performed and reported by teams of trained University of Illinois students. Facilities & Services will receive these weatherization reports and use them internally for project assessment and discussion with relevant teams. A letter of support from Facilities & Services is attached to this memorandum.

    Students will be trained to complete audits in order to obtain baseline data and make recommendations for weatherization improvements to Facilities & Services. Audit data will be entered into Excel spreadsheets, for example, to allow for of quantitative and qualitative analysis of results.

    Audit areas will include building envelope, lighting, water, and waste. Follow up audits will be conducted to evaluate the program’s success.  Information from these audits will create a valuable body of information to guide future sustainability initiatives.

    Details in this plan are drawn from similar successful programs at the University of California at Berkeley and Colorado University at Boulder.

    • The Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) will provide $20,000 in funding in order to:
    • Provide for a student intern to assist Facilities & Services in running the program.
    • Pay student teams to conduct assessments Meet miscellaneous costs, as needed, including expenses to assess successfulness of implemented recommendations, tools, equipment, etc.

    Facilities & Services will provide:

    •  A member of either the Maintenance or Energy Services division to supervise and provide resources to the intern coordinating the program.
    • Workers and materials necessary to implement improvements.
    Attached Files: 

  15. Composting Feasibility Study

    Associated Project(s): 
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to complete a feasibility study re: composting of campus food waste. The scope of work for this study includes evaluation of proposed composting sites and identification of the optimal location, specification of necessary site improvements, verification of analysis regarding program size and logistics and development of a program plan with capital equipment needs. This study will enable establishment of a food-waste program that will divert ~600 tons of foodwaste from the landfill annually (and accompanying methane and CO2 emissions), in support of the Illinois Climate Action Plan, and campus waste reduction goals. This project is also being supported by $7,400 funding from the Office of Sustainability. The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding a grant in the amount of $15,000.

    Attached Files: 

  16. BLUE Retrocommissioning info

    Associated Project(s): 
    Retrocommissioning (RCx)
    Building a Lasting University Environment (BLUE) [ARCHIVED]

    Retrocommissioning is an in-depth analysis of a building’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.  This program restores peak operating conditions while optimizing the control strategies for energy conservation, sustainability, and client comfort.   

    Since August of 2007, engineering teams have accomplished system updates and upgrades in 16 campus buildings for an average energy reduction of 28%. 

  17. Tom Ferrarell volunteers to revamp the Weatherization project

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    Tom Ferrarell has agreed to work this summer to review and revamp the Weatherization project.  Last year, the student intern, James Hoffer, focused his efforts on creating the attached Weatherization Manual.  James worked for F&S under the supervision of Dean Henson, in Building Maintenance.  Suhail provided the copy of the manual, the BRC checklist, and the sample audit forms for Tom to read through.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Suhail Barot requests a meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Weatherization of Small Campus Buildings

    -----Original Message-----
    From: sfbarot@gmail.com [mailto:sfbarot@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Suhail Barot
    Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 1:29 PM
    To: Henson, K Dean (Facilities & Services); Johnston, Morgan (Facilities & Services); Sweeney, Eva M (Facilities & Services)
    Subject: Meeting Request re: student weatherization and building assessment

    Hi folks,

    This spring, the SSC partnered with F&S on a student building weatherization assessment program. We had student teams coordinated by an intern (both paid) that worked to assess buildings and collect data. In the midst of the end of the semester, I'm not sure how much they did, or how useful it was, but I've requested information from the intern, James Hoffer, regarding all that.

    I'd like to meet and discuss how this program should operate next term, sometime during mid- June. I've included Eva on this because she had some stuff that students could do re: lighting assessments.

    Suhail Barot

    M.Sc. Electrical Engineering, 2009. Graduate Student, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chair, Student Sustainability Committee, Treasurer, University YMCA Student Board, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Phone: 1-815-260-7961

  20. Retrocommissioning award application

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Governor's Sustainability Award
    Retrocommissioning (RCx)

    The Retro-commissioning (RCx) team applied for (and later won) the Illinois Governor's Sustainability Award in 2011.  RCx at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was established in 2007 and has been working to reduce energy consumption in campus buildings by repairing and optimizing their air and hydronic systems and restoring buildings to their required operating standards.

    Attached Files: 

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