Analysis of Energy Efficiency Opportunities for a Public Transportation Maintenance Facility—A Case Study

Jordan Higgins, Aditya Ramnarayan, Roxana Family and Michael Ohadi ()
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Jordan Higgins: Smart and Small Thermal Systems Laboratory, Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, University of Maryland College Park, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Aditya Ramnarayan: Smart and Small Thermal Systems Laboratory, Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, University of Maryland College Park, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Roxana Family: Department of Materials Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Michael Ohadi: Smart and Small Thermal Systems Laboratory, Center for Environmental Energy Engineering, University of Maryland College Park, 8228 Paint Branch Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: A comprehensive energy audit of a light rail maintenance facility was performed to assess its energy performance and identify potential scope for improvements. The facility’s energy use intensity (EUI) for 2022 was 404 kWh/m 2 —more than double the benchmark EUI for maintenance facilities (151 kWh/m 2 ) recommended by EnergyStar. Furthermore, the load factor was 0.22—significantly lower than the recommended minimum of 0.75 for an efficient building. The energy audit encompassed an in-depth evaluation of the facility’s structural and operational characteristics, comprising HVAC systems, lighting, the building envelope, and energy-intensive machinery. An energy model of the facility was developed to emulate the facility’s energy performance in 2022. Following the energy model’s validation, an analysis was conducted to identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency. Post-implementation of energy efficiency measures for the facility, the projected annual reductions are 1086 MWh of electricity, 5034 GJ of natural gas, utility savings of USD 162,402, and net GHG emissions reductions of 584 metric tons of CO 2e . A subsequent 30% reduction in EUI to 283.6 kWh/m 2 could be achieved with an 86% improvement in load factor, that is, increasing it from 0.22 to 0.41. This study emphasizes the need for energy audits and modeling for maintenance facilities to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Keywords: energy audit; energy modeling; energy efficiency; transportation maintenance facility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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