START SEEING A RETURN FROM YOUR BUILDING INVESTMENTS

Retro-commissioning (RCx) is an operational energy study of your facility that leads to improvement in efficiency and maintenance measures — which all impact your bottom line.  This in-depth engineering study begins by identifying opportunities within your Building Automation System(s) to make your existing equipment better meet your operational needs.  Through the process, building owners and operators will work with our experts to learn more about their systems, how to continue to operate efficiently into the future, and gain full understanding of how your building should ideally run.

WHAT DOES RCx FIX?

Comfort Issues including thermal comfort (hot and cold spots), noise (e.g., whistles or rattles), and humidity problems.  These issues are often corrected by programming controls, fixing malfunctioning components, and adjusting airflow, cooling and boiler set points.  This leads to happier, more productive employees, as well as reduction in mold by humidity correction, and energy savings.

Maintenance Issues including equipment not operating as expected, inadequate scheduling, excessive maintenance and replacement costs, and lack of control oversight (or accessibility).  Finding equipment that is often improperly installed or correcting sensors that are not functioning properly, reduces energy use, frustration, and unnecessary capital expense, and in turn allows maintenance staff to work on other things.

Equipment Issues including frozen coils and pipes, faulty dampers, A/C not keeping up, and process equipment and supporting systems not working together effectively.  Upgrading air handling units, checking dampers for functionality, and adjusting controls are just a few possible solutions.  Fixing these issues reduces wear and potential damage to equipment, increases production, reduces product waste, decreases the risk of downtime, and saves energy.

Which RCx is right for you?

OPU’s Turnkey RCx study makes it easy to ensure that your commercial or industrial building is operating as efficiently as possible.  You could save up to 20% on your energy costs.  Depending on your building portfolio, the Turnkey RCx or RCx Lite pathways will help you to identify energy-saving projects and savings that begin right away.

TURNKEY RCx RCx Lite
Minimum Requirements Minimum Requirements
  1. Building Automation System
  2. Substantial energy usage (>1.5M kWh/year)
  3. Passes program pre-approval
  1. Building Automation System
  2. Moderate energy usage (>500,000 kWh/year)
  3. Passes program pre-approval
Program Outcomes Program Outcomes
  • Investment-grade engineering study reviewing entire building operations and performance
  • Deep Energy Savings
  • Improvements to building operation
  • Fast energy savings
  • Energy savings found in simple building control strategies
Program Duration Program Duration
Study complete in 2-3 months; up to 18 months for implementation; 12 months bill tracking. Less than 1 month from site visit to program completion.
Implementation Implementation
Building owner/operator responsible for implementation; up to 18 months allowed for completion. Implementation completed by controls vendor/in-house resource during the site visit.
Post Implementation Assistance Post Implementation Assistance
  • On-site functional testing after implementation
  • Bill monitoring for 12 months with results report
  • Employee Training
  • End of project report documenting energy savings achieved through implementation
Realized Energy Savings Realized Energy Savings
  • Typically 10-25% of total building energy use.
  • Typically 5-15% of total building energy use.
Net Cost Net Cost
Out of pocket costs only for implementing a package of measures with a 2 year-payback.

  • Implementation costs capped at project onset to allow for proper budgeting
  • Study fee reimbursed
  • Post-implementation assistance services provided by program.
 No net out-of-pocket cost.

  • Study ($6,000+travel) reimbursed
  • Implementation (up to $2,000) reimbursed
Timeline for study cost reimbursement Timeline for study cost reimbursement
Study cost reimbursed 100% when implementation is complete and functional testing report has been issued. Study cost (and up to $2,000 for contractor fees) fully reimbursed after project report review meeting.

Our Process

Participation in OPU’s RCx follows a 4-step process:

  1. PREAPPROVAL
    At no cost to you, OPU along with MichaelsEnergy will review your application to verify that RCx is the rights choice for your business.
  2. ANALYZE
    MichaelsEnergy will complete a study identifying problems and opportunities for energy savings throughout your building.  You’ll receive a comprehensive report with a prioritized listing of recommended measures, estimated project costs and incentives, electricity and demand savings, and payback periods.
  3. IMPLEMENT
    You will work with MichaelsEnergy and our Energy Conservation/Key Account Officer to select applicable measures that make the most sense and meet the eligibility implementation requirements.  When implementation is successfully completed, we will pay 100% of your RCx study costs.
  4. VERIFY
    Once all required energy-efficiency measures are implemented, the verification process ensures savings are realized.

Program Incentive and Eligibility Details

To be eligible for the program, you must:

  • Be an active electric commercial account holder.
  • Own or operate a facility in OPU’s service territory.
  • Meet the minimum annual kWh building requirements of 500,000 kWh.
  • Have the functioning digital controls or energy management system(s) (building automation).
  • Complete and submit the RCx study pre-approval form to OPU.

Apply for OPU’s RCx Program

Please complete the RCx pre-approval form and submit as an email to our Energy Conservation Department.