Month 2 - The Energy Conservation Opportunity: K through 12 School Building Unit Ventilator System & Associated Exhaust Retro-Commissioning Application

Since I became a “company of one” this past January, I have been far busier than I had estimated when I wrote out my business plan. I guess that is a good problem, but it has taken me 10 months to get things under control and fit within my new five-days-a-week schedule (no more working Saturdays, Sundays, or evenings).

In the past, I have written about the integrated project delivery (IPD) process and my advocating it over design-bid-build, construction management, and/or performance contracting, but I’m troubled by the slow progress of IPD into the design, construction, and O&M business.

Refer to January 2010 B2B for an introduction to energy auditing and energy retrocommissioning. A good guideline for implementing an energy audit is the ASHRAE Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits manual.

Here’s a manufacturer’s competitive advantage waiting to happen.

Here, our long-time forward-thinking columnist uses a common hospital scenario to walk you through the shift from Design-Bid-Build to an Integrated Project Delivery approach. See how the job can get done with similar personnel on a considerably shorter schedule, resulting in a greater team investment in the project’s success and yet more time to get on to other work.

Put yourself in the position to come up with the next Great Idea, or to at least hear about and recognize it early on.

Guiding a group effort isn’t effortless, but a few good habits will set the tone for success.

Some will say most engineering, construction, and O&M software offerings are “smart” because they are all programs built for computer applications, but I see that some software has added benefits beyond their program intent. To begin, computer programs are developed to provide a variety of technical features, such as performing energy calculations and system/equipment service that blends technical data with financial data. Even my own software programs have specific features for commissioning and air and water balancing. But what about the benefits a program can provide which maybe weren’t part of the intent?

In recent “Tomorrow’s Environment” columns, I’ve talked about the need for engineers to change from being a commodity and a follower to recommitting their technical skills to engineer-driven consulting services. I touched on some of the engineering initiatives that are ideally suited for engineer-led teams. The heart of being a leader of projects begins with three essential attributes: Positive attitude, creativity, and a high energy level, followed by a need to lead.