Energy Services Group

The Energy Services Group is responsible for the production and management of energy at Stanford. We oversee the operation, maintenance and capital development of Stanford’s Central Energy Facility; and develop, operate and maintain Stanford’s Energy Management and Control System. The Energy Services Group promotes, facilitates, implements and documents energy conservation on campus through knowledge, technical support, utility demand management, and data dissemination.

Central Energy Facility

Stanford’s Central Energy Facility  produces electrical and thermal energy for the main Stanford campus. Steam is generated for heating buildings, and chilled water is generated for cooling buildings. Electrical and thermal utilities are delivered through distribution systems operated by the Stanford Utilities Services Department.

Facilities Energy Management

The Facilities Energy Management (FEM) team manages multiple operating systems and efficiency programs aimed at optimizing the energy use of University buildings. The FEM team has four main focus areas addressing key aspects of energy management.

  • New Facility Energy Systems Design and Commissioning
  • Existing Facility Energy Systems Operation
  • Existing Facility Energy Systems Retrofit
  • Promotion of Sustainable IT Infrastructure

New Facility Energy Systems Design and Commissioning

FEM provides senior engineering support to new building project teams to help ensure that relevant energy conservation measures (ECM) are identified and properly applied to new construction projects. Important support tasks include:

  • Assist project managers in conducting life cycle cost analyses of potential ECMs and developing alternatives as appropriate
  • Identify opportunities for energy efficiency financial incentives through local utilities, State and/or Federal government, and other sources
  • Review design and construction plans to ensure ECMs are applied as intended and that correct monitoring and controls features are included
  • Help define the requirements for the building energy use model and support the project manager and consultants with development of the model
  • Specify the required monitoring hardware and systems needed to precisely verify building performance metrics
  • Monitor the commissioning process to ensure that buildings meet expectations when turned over to the occupants
  • Monitor the post-commissioning performance of new buildings to ensure that energy performance goals are achieved over time

Existing Facility Energy Systems Operation

The Facilities Energy Systems Operations (FESO) team is comprised of controls engineers and technicians tasked with the operation and maintenance of the various building level control systems on campus. The team ensures that building systems are operated as efficiently as possible by developing appropriate control algorithms and monitoring the performance of the systems. The primary systems managed by the team include the campus Energy Management and Control System (EMCS) and the individual Building Management Systems (BMS).

Energy Management and Control System

The Energy Management and Control System (EMCS) is a campus-wide computer based system that controls and monitors the supply of energy to campus facilities. All buildings receiving thermal energy are metered through the EMCS, and the major thermal energy using equipment of most academic buildings are controlled by the EMCS. The EMCS provides a window into building operation, allowing facilities engineers and maintenance technicians a better understanding of the health and efficiency of Stanford’s facilities. Stanford’s EMCS is also a valuable tool for managing demand on Stanford’s Central Energy Facility.

The “EMCS Shop” is the primary location for system development, maintenance, and normal workday monitoring of building operations and performance, but is only one of ten locations with operator workstations. Off-hour monitoring is covered by the University's 24 hour dispatch and information center.

Primary services provided by EMCS Shop include:

  • Day-to-day troubleshooting of building problems in conjunction with Stanford's facilities engineering staff and maintenance shops
  • Day-to-day monitoring of building operations and performance
  • Development and technical support for Energy Retrofit Program projects
  • Utility billing data acquisition for Stanford provided utility services
  • Plan and specification review for energy and cost reduction projects
  • Coordination of EMCS integration into existing and new facilities
  • Development, design, operation and application of advanced control strategies for Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems
  • Building time scheduling

 

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