SNL NM Building 750
1515 Eubank SE
Albuquerque, NM 87123
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Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Building 750 earned the ENERGY STAR for superior energy performance as part of an effort to certify the building under the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EB:OM) green building rating system. Building 750 is the first building at SNL to earn ENERGY STAR recognition and LEED EBOM certification. The building is also the first in
Building 750 is a single-story standard office facility that was selected to earn the ENERGY STAR and act as a LEED EB:OM pilot project for many reasons, including occupant support, good initial energy performance, building age, building occupancy type, and availability of metered data.
The work to qualify the building for both LEED and ENERGY STAR was done by members of the workforce at SNL.
Energy performance was improved by retro-commissioning the building systems and installing occupancy sensors in all offices and shared spaces. The process of retro-commissioning revealed several significant energy savings opportunities, including fixing an air handler that was operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week and a broken damper that resulted in a much larger volume of air being used than necessary. Annual energy consumption in the building was reduced by 25 percent.
Occupant awareness about energy consumption was an essential contributor to the energy savings. During the 3-month LEED EB:OM Period of Performance, the building's energy consumption was 45 percent less than the same period of time during the previous year. The 45 percent reduction is partially attributable to the occupant awareness program that was intensified during the Period of Performance. A "Building Liaison" was appointed to interface with the facilities team responsible for documenting the certifications and the building occupants. The role of the Liaison was to be a familiar face that could answer questions and convey information to and from occupants. Several "Lunch and Learn" sessions conducted in the building provided occupants the opportunity to learn about the rating systems and what actions they could take to facilitate the process. The Liaison reminded occupants to shut down non-essential equipment in person, through email, and signage. Occupants were also given "smart" surge protectors that turn off all devices when a central device such as the computer is turned off to help manage plug loads.
Other elements of the green building certification include campus-wide plans documenting green cleaning, purchasing, and maintenance of the exterior of the building and surrounding hardscape practices. Indoor water-using fixtures were replaced or upgraded for a total savings of over 40 percent, and the drought tolerant landscaping uses 75 percent less water than a baseline landscape. A survey of building residents showed that almost 20 percent of occupants used alternative forms of commuting. The recycling area in the building was augmented with better signage and a subsequent waste audit revealed a 60 percent diversion rate. Indoor air quality is also addressed through the green cleaning program, which uses environmentally friendly cleaning products and walk-off mats at the entrance to the building.
Communications:
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Testimonial:
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Please note: Narrative information in this profile has been provided by Sandia National Lab NM or a representative of this facility. Other building information was verified and submitted to EPA at the time of application. Building energy performance, operating characteristics, and ownership/management may be subject to change over time.
Federal Building
Building Owner:*
Sandia National Lab NM
Property Manager:*
Sandia National Lab NM
Year(s) Labeled (Rating):
2009 (86)
Facility Type: Office
Total Floorspace: 14683 sf
Year Constructed: 2002
Contract Type: None
Technologies Used:
Unavailable
For More Info:
Israel Martinez
Albuquerque,
NM
87185
505-845-0011
ilmarti@sandia.gov