Recent Information
NCAT Websites
Don’t Miss
NCAT
Helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources.
Helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources.
We use cookies. We want to make our website more user-friendly and continuously improve it. If you continue to use the website, you agree to the use of cookies.
OKWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
Privacy Policy
Livingston Ace Hardware
Livingston Ace Hardware Energy Audit Case Study
The Ace Hardware in Livingston, Montana, is a 13,000 ft2 retail building. The store owner contacted the Montana Resource Efficiency Program (MREP) for assistance with their lighting update. The owner wanted more and brighter energy-efficient lighting in the store. After a lighting audit and analysis, an MREP engineer recommended upgrading the fluorescent tube lighting to 15-watt LED tubes. After the change-out of over 800 bulbs the owner reported a better quality of light and is very happy with the upgrade.
The overall cost of the project was $8,544. The project qualified for $3,961 in rebates from the utility’s rebate program, bringing the net cost to $4,583. This project will also save Ace Hardware approximately $8,900 per year in energy bills, which brings the project a simple payback of less than one year. Here is a summary of the financial aspects of the project:
Granite County Courthouse
The Granite County courthouse, located in Philipsburg, Montana, was constructed in 1913 of brick and Montana granite. The building is three stories tall and is comprised of heavy woodwork, large wood and granite columns, a large dome with a stained glass skylight, and tile mosaic floors.
The courthouse recently completed a large lighting project, which included the replacement of old light fixtures with new energy-efficient LED fixtures. The 140 fixtures changed during the project qualified for $7,000 in utility rebates from a lighting rebate program and will result in $4,928 per year in energy bill savings. The net cost of the project was $29,835, giving the project a simple payback of about six years. Here is a quick summary of the project:
Front Street Market
The Front Street Market is a one-story grocery retail building with an unfinished basement. The main floor contains a commercial kitchen, office space, retail space, and a deli. The MREP team audited Front Street Market and identified several energy-saving opportunities for refrigeration and lighting systems.
There are 11 coolers, one walk-in cooler for beverages, one large freezer, and one walk-in freezer throughout the building, each using their own compressor. The HVAC system consists of two furnaces and a unit heater in each of the front rooms of the store. Each furnace is tied to a compressor for cooling. A conversion to high-efficiency compressors would increase the energy efficiency of these systems, particularly during summer months.
The market should also install variable-frequency drives (VFD) to existing cooler and freezer motors. The measure would save 30 to 60% of the motor’s energy usage, depending on the size and frequency of use. Additionally, there are two service doors located on the north and south sides of the beer cooler, and each door is slightly drafty, causing a loss in cooling. MREP recommended replacement of the deteriorated weatherstripping on these doors to prevent cooling loss.
Lighting within the building is comprised of 20-watt CFLs; 4-foot, 30-watt fluorescent tubes; and 8-foot 138-watt fluorescent tubes. Converting these lights to approved LEDs reduces the energy consumption in the building by 6,762 kWh annually.
Enterprise Holdings
Enterprise Holdings now has some specific energy-efficiency options that could improve its bottom line, thanks to a comprehensive energy audit of its facilities performed by MREP.
Enterprise owns seven rental facilities throughout Montana, each comprised of office space and a washing garage, as well as one main office in Helena. MREP experts visited all eight facilities to assist in identifying cost-effective efficiency measures for each building. The recommended measures include installing programmable thermostats for office spaces, insulating gaps in exterior doors, especially under garage doors, and upgrading lighting to LED.
PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS
Programmable thermostats are simple to install and inexpensive, yet they can result in significant energy cost savings by reducing the set temperature during times when offices are closed, such as evenings and weekends. Five of Enterprise’s eight offices are recommend to install these thermostats.
DOOR INSULATION
A number of exterior doors have gaps present, allowing air to flow into the space and negate the heating or cooling from the HVAC systems. Fortunately, there is a simple solution: applying stick-on foam to doors to fill the gaps and help maintain comfort levels in interior spaces. Reducing drafts can also decrease the use of space heaters among office employees, further increasing energy savings.
Weatherstripping is a very inexpensive and cost-effective way to prevent the escape of heating or cooled air. This measure can also be applied to windows and window sills.
LED LIGHTING
Many of Enterprise’s offices and garages had fluorescent T8 tube lighting, and upgrading these to LED will save a significant amount of energy. MREP’s lighting analysis resulted in the following costs and savings:
SOLAR PV SYSTEM
Enterprise Holdings also expressed interest in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system for its Helena and Great Falls facilities. MREP analyzed roof- and ground-mounted systems for the Helena facility and found that a roof-mounted system would be limited to 10.4 kW, which would produce 18% of the building’s electricity usage. A ground-mounted system would allow the maximum size of 50 kW and produce 76% of the building’s electricity usage. The Great Falls facility could accommodate a 10-kW roof-mounted system that would produce about 60% of the facility’s usage.
Currently, there is a 30% tax credit of the cost of the system to any tax paying business. MREP recommended that Enterprise take advantage of this credit while it is still in place as it is set to phase out starting in 2020.
Draught Works Brewery
A Montana brewery could save more than $4,000 each year on energy costs by implementing the recommendations of a Montana Resource Efficiency Program (MREP) audit.
Draught Works is a brewery in Missoula, Montana, that resides within a historic brick building built in 1931. The building contains one large room that consists of a taproom and brewery, located on opposite ends of the building. The Montana Resource Efficiency Program (MREP) conducted a detailed audit that focused on energy and water conservation, renewable energy, and operational improvements.
Current heating and cooling equipment includes a geothermal heat pump system (including well pump and circulation pumps). There are also two unit heaters. Ventilation is provided by two heat-recovery ventilators. Domestic hot water is provided by a high-efficiency instantaneous unit to sinks and a dishwasher. There is a 24′ x 24′ cooler inside the building and another refrigeration system for the beer-dispensing lines. The brewery upgraded its lighting LED in 2016.
Audit recommendations include installation of occupancy sensors, ECM motors (brushless, permanent magnet motor integrated with an electronic control module), walk-in cooler evaporator fans, compressed-air system testing and maintenance, and installation of heat recovery-glycol chillers.
The economics associated with the energy-conservation project are summarized below:
Darby High School
Darby High School now has great options for energy efficiency in its heating, ventilation, and lighting systems, after an audit by the Montana Resource Efficiency Program.
The high school is a part of a school campus built in 1973 that also includes elementary and middle schools. There is a small tunnel network below grade that is used for utilities and heating and ventilation system air supply. The building includes administration offices, classrooms, a gymnasium, and locker rooms. The school district replaced the existing natural-gas boilers with a wood boiler in 2003. Figure 1 provides an overview of the temperature and precipitation. Figure 2 illustrates electric consumption at the high school, and Figure 3 illustrates the monthly peak demand.
Audit Findings:
There are issues with restricted return air that contribute to poor air circulation and temperature control, especially when doors are closed. This high return pressure on the air- handling unit also requires that the air-handling unit fan consume additional unnecessary electricity to operate.
Many of classroom and office heating coils in the branch ductwork in the tunnel have failed, resulting in poor temperature control in those rooms. The heating coils are likely well past their useful life, even though the controls are relatively new. The school can replace or repair the coils to improve temperature control in the spaces.
The school can save energy in this air-handling unit by converting it to a variable-flow system utilizing a variable-frequency drive (VFD) on the fan and variable-air valves (VAV) on the ductwork to each classroom. This would allow the fan to slow down when less heat is needed and conserve fan power. This measure requires that adequate ventilation air is delivered to each space.
The school could also save energy by converting the heating hot water system to a variable flow system. This upgrade requires valve replacements and additional re-piping on the hot water system. The ventilation for this system comes from a louver in the exterior wall, which likely was originally intended to be open when the mixed air temperature could be maintained well above freezing. This would allow ventilation in all but the coldest periods, thereby protecting the downstream classroom coils from freezing. During the audit, this louver was found closed even though the return air temperature was 65° to 70°F and the outside air temperature was 37°F. Because it was not open, even partially, fresh ventilation air was not being delivered to the academic wing.
School maintenance staff and MREP auditors concluded that previous maintenance overrode the louver system and it no longer opens as designed. The outside air control should be retro-commissioned so that ventilation can be provided at all times, even in the coldest weather. This might require the addition of a preheat system for the outside air system so that the mixed air is sufficiently warmed before being introduced into the building.
In addition to these HVAC efficiency items, the school could save significant energy by converting fluorescent lighting to LED, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. LED Conversion Project Cost, Savings, and Simple Payback
Claire Putnam, Women’s Health Services
“Everyone should have an MREP energy audit! I would not have been able to do my REAP grant without them! Danielle was incredibly helpful in finding ways to save money, and getting maximum rebates to help me improve my energy savings. Not only was she insightful and spot-on with her knowledge of energy efficiency and ways to cut costs, she was fun to work with! She would call me up and say ‘I think I found some more money for you, send me your receipts for that!’ I will certainly continue to refer other friends and business owners to her, so they can find ways to save energy and save money!” – Claire Putnam, MD, Women’s Health Services, Bozeman
Dr. Claire Putnam purchased a building on 7th Ave. in Bozeman and planned to remodel the building into a women’s clinic. The one-story building was built in 1940 for residential purposes and converted into commercial space several years later. It currently has an unfinished basement. The remodel was intended to improve the energy efficiency of the building while creating a comfortable space for the patients. The remodel included new windows, a completely updated HVAC system, all new LED lighting, upgraded insulation, and cosmetic upgrades on the exterior and interior.
Total Savings for the Project
This project will save over 14,000 kWh and 107,000 kBTUs per year. That is the equivalent of saving 1,410 gallons of gasoline! The project is outlined in the table below with each elements’ annual savings, cost, and simple payback. The simple payback uses the current utility rates to calculate the cost savings on an annual basis.
Annual kBTU
Savings
(converted)
Payback
(yrs)*
Utility
Funding
$432.00
HVAC Equipment
The new HVAC system includes an ENERGY STAR-rated furnace and air conditioner manufactured by Trane. The old system consisted of an older furnace (assumed rating at 78% efficiency) and a Bryant 10 SEER outdoor unit for cooling. The new furnace is 97.3% efficient with an electronically commutated motor (ECM) for the blower fan motor and a variable-speed drive (VFD) on the condensing unit. The new outdoor unit for cooling has an SEER of 18.
Window Upgrades
The building contained 31 single-paned operable windows. Twenty-one of the windows were equipped with half a storm pane: half screen on the outside, six windows had full storm panes, and four windows had no storm pane at all. Many of the windows were cracked and the storm panes were not installed properly. This project included a full energy-efficient window replacement.
Old upstairs window.
New Upstairs window.
Old basement window.
New basement window
Insulation Upgrades
The project also included increasing the insulation levels throughout the building. The above-grade walls and attic contained an estimated insulation value of R-11. The blown-in cellulose insulation in the attic was not spread evenly and there was no insulation in the roof structure. The basement exterior walls are concrete only with no insulation.
Basement insulation.
Lighting Upgrades
The owner also replaced the halogen track lighting fixtures with new LED flat panel fixtures that are more energy efficient and provide a better quality of light, with a longer service life.
Old track lighting.
LED fixture.
City of Anaconda
Energy costs for city and county governments are often a very large budget item. But energy-efficiency upgrades can start at a smaller scale and still result in significant energy savings. One such area is street lighting.
The City of Anaconda would like to upgrade its current street lighting to LED to save energy, lower utility bills, and decrease maintenance. Current street lighting varies from metal halides to high-pressure sodium bulbs at four different sizes and wattages.
The Montana Resource Efficiency Program (MREP) conducted an audit of the current street lights by performing a street-by-street bulb characterization and lamp count. MREP then determined that corn-cobb-style LEDs, similar to the LED shown in the image at right, would be the simplest, most cost-effective retrofit for the City.
To allow for resident comment and to ensure that the light is bright enough and the color is acceptable for the area, MREP advised the City to test several city blocks with the recommended LED lights.
If installed, the project will result in the following savings:
C Sharps Arms
The C Sharps Arms building is located in Big Timber, Montana, and is used to produce custom firearms. The building is divided into two sections, the workshop and the retail/office space. The workshop is the largest section, accounting for approximately 11,100ft2. The building has high ceilings throughout both the workshop and retail spaces, while the offices are standard height with storage above. The basement is used as a packaging area and shooting range to test the company’s products.
Workshop lighting was the main concern for both the management team and the craftsmen. Lighting consisted of (101) 8-foot, two-lamp T12 fluorescent fixtures and (16) 4-foot, two-lamp T12 fixtures. Only 26 of the 8-foot fixtures and nine of the 4-foot fixtures were working or had bulbs. The goal of the management team was to increase lighting in the work areas, while leaving the unused areas dim. There is a second building that had (6) 8-foot fixtures, of which only three were working. The office and retail lighting was also out-of-date, but this was a secondary concern to the workshop. With this type of situation, it was recommended to do a complete replacement of the light fixtures. The table below shows the recommended replacement fixtures.
Fixtures
Wattage
Wattage
Saved
Based on these upgrades, this project was eligible for $7,575 through a utility lighting rebate program. The rebates dropped the net project cost to $4,407. Annual energy cost savings was $2,391, for a simple payback of less than two years.
Bill
Savings
Cost
Rebate
Cost
Savings
Savings
Payback
Conversion
Bozeman Job Service
Even though the building owners continuously upgrade Bozeman Job Service, Montana Resource Efficiency (MREP) auditors located several cost-effective efficiency measures, all with a payback period of a three years or less.
The Bozeman Job Service is a one-story office building located in downtown Bozeman. In 2010, the building owner installed new furnaces, new ductwork, and fluorescent lighting. The MREP audit identified energy-efficiency opportunities for the plug-load, lighting, building envelope, thermostats, and heating, ventilation, and air condition (HVAC) systems.
Energy-efficiency measures found in the HVAC system include installation of compressors and variable-frequency drives to their existing furnaces. The compressors will have an energy-efficiency rating greater than 12, which will result in savings of approximately 2,600 kWh of energy. The variable-frequency drives (VFDs) will accommodate the demand of air flow through the building. This measure would save approximately 1,055 KWH annually. The economics associated with these two measures is:
The office also has a large plug-load energy use from computers, copiers, printers, and other large office equipment. This building houses 42 computers with monitors that are powered on all hours of the day due to software and/or computer updates from the state. Each computer uses approximately 1.408 kWh per workday and 1.968 kWh per weekend left running. That adds up to almost 21,500 kWh per year. This is almost half of the building’s current usage. There are two options to cut down on this usage:
Within the office space, the lighting consists of CFLs and fluorescent T8 bulbs. MREP recommended an LED conversion with the following economics:
Additional energy-efficiency measures identified in the audit include weatherizing windows and doors, as well as programmable thermostat setbacks and scheduling.