7/28/2020 Retrofitting Existing Buildings to Improve Sustainability and Energy Performance | WBDG - Whole Building Design Guide

Retro tting Existing Buildings To Improve

Sustainability And Energy Performance  
by Richard Paradis, P.E., BSCP, Bd. Cert. Noise Control Engineer
National Institute of Building Sciences (http://www.nibs.org/)
Updated: 08-15-2016

INTRODUCTION
Retro tting an existing building can oftentimes be more cost-
effective (/design-objectives/cost-effective) than building a new WITHIN THIS PAGE
facility. Since buildings consume a signi cant amount of energy Introduction
(40 percent of the nation's total U.S. energy consumption), Recommendations
particularly for heating and cooling (32 percent), and because Related Issues
existing buildings comprise the largest segment of the built Relevant Codes and Standards
environment, it is important to initiate energy conservation Additional Resources
retro ts to reduce energy consumption and the cost of heating,
cooling, and lighting buildings. But conserving energy is not the only reason for retro tting existing
buildings. The goal should be to create a high-performance building by applying the integrated, whole-
building design process (/resources/whole-building-design), to the project during the planning or
charrette (/resources/planning-and-conducting-integrated-design-id-charrettes) phase that ensures all
key design objectives are met. For example, the integrated project team may discover a single design 
strategy that will meet multiple design objectives. Doing so will mean that the building will be less

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costly to operate, will increase in value, last longer, and contribute to a better, healthier, more
comfortable environment for people in which to live and work. Improving indoor environmental quality
(/design-objectives/sustainable/enhance-indoor-environmental-quality), decreasing moisture
penetration, and reducing mold all will result in improved occupant health and productivity (/design-
objectives/productive). Further, when deciding on a retro t, consider upgrading for accessibility
(/design-objectives/accessible), safety and security (/design-objectives/secure-safe) at the same time.
The unique aspects for retro t of historic buildings (/design-objectives/historic-preservation) must be
given special consideration. Designing major renovations and retro ts for existing buildings to include
sustainability initiatives will reduce operation costs and environmental impacts, and can increase
building adaptability, durability, and resiliency.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Before making what may amount to a major investment in the retro t of existing buildings for energy
and sustainability improvements, it is important to determine if the investment is worthwhile in
perspective with other building conditions. Is the building structurally sound? Are seismic
(/resources/seismic-design-principles) upgrades needed to meet current standards and local building
code requirements? Do hazardous material like asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and lead
paint have to be contained and removed? Can the work be done in phases to minimize disruption to the
occupants? Relocating occupants to other facilities can be a signi cant expense. If a vegetative roof
(/resources/extensive-vegetative-roofs) is being considered, is the roof able to support the additional
weight without costly reinforcement? Look for opportunities to reduce the cost of the work by recycling
waste and demolition materials.

Once you have determined that other building conditions are not impediments to upgrading for
sustainability and improved energy performance, you should have a plan and follow a sequence of
activities in order to determine the best options for energy and sustainability improvements.

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First, determine if the existing systems are operating at optimum levels before considering
replacing existing equipment with new higher e ciency equipment. This can be accomplished by
performing an energy audit. Sometimes, considerable savings in utility costs can be gained by
evaluating the performance of the building envelope and existing systems: leaks, clogged/dirty
lters, stuck dampers, disabled sensors, faulty or incorrect wiring, or even lack of knowledge on
how to properly operate and maintain equipment can all contribute to ine ciencies and increased
costs. Audit the performance of the building's water systems as well; since leaking and ine cient
systems not only waste water, they also use energy by needlessly running pumps and other
electrical equipment.

Then, if the building is metered, review utility bills from the last two years to determine if
consumption (not cost) has risen.

For existing federal buildings, performing an energy audit (assessing existing condition and
operational procedures of the building and major building systems and identify areas for
improvement) is one of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Existing Buildings.

Next, determine air tightness of the building envelope by examining the building envelope, looking
for leaky windows, gaps around vents and pipe penetrations, and moisture (/resources/moisture-
management) intrusion. Upgrading heating and air-conditioning systems without addressing
problems with the building envelope will result in less than optimum performance of those
systems. Employ the methods in ASTM E1827 Standard Test Methods for Determining
Airtightness of Buildings Using an Ori ce Blower Door
(https://www.astm.org/Standards/E1827.htm) and ASTM E779 Standard Test Method for
Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization
(https://www.astm.org/Standards/E779.htm). Consider also doing tracer gas test described in
ASTM E741 Standard Test Method for Determining Air Change in a Single Zone by Means of a
Tracer Gas Dilution (http://www.astm.org/Standards/E741).

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Sustainability And Energy-Ef ciency Strategies
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Recommission (/building-commissioning) all energy andand water systems to determine they are
operating at optimum performance; then upgrade energy (/design-
objectives/sustainable/optimize-energy-use) and water (/design-objectives/sustainable/protect-
conserve-water) systems to minimize consumption.

Develop a plan to optimize the recycling and reuse of demolition debris and construction waste
(/resources/construction-waste-management) to minimize waste sent to land lls.

Evaluate occupancy patterns, then apply daylight (/resources/daylighting), HVAC

(/resources/high-performance-hvac) and lighting (/resources/electric-lighting-controls) sensors
in appropriate locations. Incorporate energy e cient lighting (/resources/energy-e cient-lighting)
into the project as appropriate for the tasks and functions of the spaces.

Determine if natural ventilation (/resources/natural-ventilation) and fresh air intake are feasible
alternatives to reduce heating and cooling loads.

Investigate renewable energy (/ffc/doe/criteria/guide-integrating-renewable-energy-federal-

construction) options that can offset the purchase of fossil fuel-based energy.

Consider solar shading devices (/resources/sun-control-and-shading-devices) for windows and

doors, including those that generate electricity by photovoltaic (PV (/resources/photovoltaics))
devices.

Replace existing windows with high-performance windows (/resources/windows-and-glazing)

appropriate for climate and exposure. If building requires security upgrade, evaluate blast
resistant windows and lms (/resources/retro tting-existing-buildings-resist-explosive-threats). If
building is located in a high noise area, evaluate windows that also include adequate exterior to
interior noise reduction.

Analyze the bene ts of distributed generation (/resources/distributed-energy-resources-der) if the

building is in a campus cluster or can share the on-site energy produced with adjacent buildings. 
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Balance the project's sustainable goals with its security goals including protecting the building
and its occupants from natural (/design-objectives/secure-safe/natural-hazards-mitigation) and
man-caused (/design-objectives/secure-safe/security-building-occupants-assets) disasters.

Certain site renovations (/design-objectives/sustainable/optimize-site-potential) can improve the

energy performance of the building including reducing the heat island effect.

Determine if a cool roof (/resources/cool-metal-roo ng) or green roof (/resources/extensive-

vegetative-roofs) are cost-effective ways to reduce heat island effect and stormwater runoff.

Employ Energy Star (https://www.energystar.gov/buildings) and/or a green building rating system

for existing buildings like LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance
(http://www.usgbc.org/leed#rating) (LEED EBOM) or Green Globes for Existing Buildings
(http://www.thegbi.org/green-globes-certi cation/how-to-certify/existing-buildings/) to gage the
building's level of performance.

For historic buildings, update systems appropriately (/design-objectives/historic-

preservation/update-building-systems-appropriately) to maintain a balance between the need for
energy and water savings with the character of the original building fabric.

Take the opportunity afforded by the building renovation to incorporate sustainable operations
and maintenance (/design-objectives/sustainable) practices and switch to green cleaning
products and methods (/design-objectives/sustainable/optimize-operational-maintenance-
practices).

To ensure a newly renovated building continues to perform as designed, measure the

performance (/resources/measuring-performance-sustainable-buildings) of the building regularly.

If not already metered, plan on installing meters for electric, gas, water and other utilities. Smart
meters and submeters are preferable to monitor real-time consumption, control demand and
increase tenant accountability (cost control). 
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RELATED ISSUES
COBie (/resources/construction-operations-building-information-exchange-cobie). Consider
incorporating Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) during the planning
stage. Energy Modeling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_modeling) is a useful computer-based
tool to model the energy performance of the entire building or the systems within the building.

RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDS

Relevant Codes
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (/ffc/fed/congressional-acts/energy-
independence-security-act-2007)
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (/ffc/fed/congressional-acts/energy-policy-act-2005)
Executive Order 13221, "Energy E cient Standby Power Devices" (/ffc/fed/executive-orders/eo-
13221)
Executive Order 13693, "Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade"
(/ffc/fed/executive-orders/eo-1369993)

Relevant Standards
ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green
Buildings, except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (https://www.ashrae.org/resources--

publications/bookstore/standard-189-1)
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ASHRAE 100 Energy E ciency in Existing Buildings (https://www.ashrae.org/resources--

publications/bookstore/standard-100) (ANSI Approved/IES Co-sponsored)
International Green Construction Code (IgCC) (http://www.iccsafe.org/codes-tech-
support/codes/2015-i-codes/igcc/)
PBS-P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (/ffc/gsa/criteria/pbs-p100)—
General Services Administration

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WBDG
BUILDING TYPES / SPACE TYPES
Applicable to most building types (/building-types) and space types (/space-types).

DESIGN OBJECTIVES
Aesthetics—Engage the Integrated Design Process (/design-objectives/aesthetics/engage-integrated-
design-process), Cost-Effective (/design-objectives/cost-effective), Functional / Operational (/design-
objectives/functional-operational), Historic Preservation—Update Building Systems Appropriately
(/design-objectives/historic-preservation/update-building-systems-appropriately), Productive (/design-
objectives/productive), Secure / Safe (/design-objectives/secure-safe), Sustainable—Optimize Site
Potential (/design-objectives/sustainable/optimize-site-potential), Sustainable—Protect and Conserve
Water (/design-objectives/sustainable/protect-conserve-water), Sustainable—Optimize Building Space
and Material Use (/design-objectives/sustainable/optimize-building-space-material-use), Sustainable—
Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality (/design-objectives/sustainable/enhance-indoor-environmental-
quality), Sustainable—Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices (/design-
objectives/sustainable/optimize-operational-maintenance-practices)
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SYSTEMS & SPECIFICATIONS

Building Envelope Design Guide (/systems-speci cations/building-envelope-design-guide)
Mechanical Insulation Design Guide (/systems-speci cations/mechanical-insulation-design-guide)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Planning, Delivery, and Controls (/project-management)

BUILDING COMMISSIONING
Building Commissioning (/building-commissioning)

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Facilities Operations and Maintenance (/facilities-operations-maintenance), Real Property Inventory
(RPI) and Asset Management (RPAM) (/facilities-operations-maintenance/real-property-inventory-rpi-
and-asset-management-rpam), Computer-Aided Facilities Management (/facilities-operations-
maintenance/computer-aided-facilities-management-cafm), Computerized Maintenance Management
Systems (CMMS) (/facilities-operations-maintenance/computerized-maintenance-management-
systems-cmms), Comprehensive Facility Operation and Maintenance Manual (/facilities-operations-
maintenance/comprehensive-facility-operation-maintenance-manual)

TOOLS
Energy Analysis (/additional-resources/tools? eld_topics_tid_selective=224) Tools

CASE STUDIES
Center for Neighborhood Technology (/additional-resources/case-studies/center-for- 
neighborhood-technology)

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Empire State Building Retro t (/additional-resources/case-studies/empire-state-building-retro t)

The Mutual Building - Christman Company Headquarters (/additional-resources/case-
studies/mutual-building-christman-company-headquarters)
NAVFAC Building 33 (/additional-resources/case-studies/navfac-building-33)

Organizations
Energy Star® (http://www.energystar.gov/), EPA
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) (http://energy.gov/eere/femp/federal-energy-
management-program), DOE

Publications
Advanced Energy Retro t Guide for O ce Buildings
(https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/19), DOE
Advanced Energy Retro t Guide for Retail Buildings
(https://buildingdata.energy.gov/cbrd/resource/20), DOE
"Energy E ciency Retro tting of Existing Buildings", Journal of Building Enclosure Design Winter
2009 (/ les/pdfs/jbed_winter09.pdf) 
The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse
(http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/sustainable-communities/green-
lab/lca/The_Greenest_Building_lowres.pdf) , National Trust for Historic Preservation

Other
Energy Design Resources (https://energydesignresources.com/)

Training Courses
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WBDG04 Optimizing Operations and Maintenance (O&M) (/continuing-education/wbdg-

courses/wbdg04)
WBDG05 Daylighting Principles and Strategies for Sustainable Design (/continuing-
education/wbdg-courses/wbdg05)
WBDG12 Window and Glazing Design Strategies for Sustainable Design (/continuing-
education/wbdg-courses/wbdg12)
WBDG13 Strategies for Sustainable Historic Preservation (/continuing-education/wbdg-
courses/wbdg13)
WBDG14 Building Commissioning Principles and Strategies (/continuing-education/wbdg-
courses/wbdg14)

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