Addressing Energy & Comfort in Ageing Leisure Centres Luke Treadwell Senior Engineer, Arup
Outline Background Brief review of Energy in Leisure Centres Comfort Conditions in Leisure Centres Energy The Great Escape Building Construction Plant & Equipment Building Operation & Controls What to do Shopping list Easy wins Simple upgrades Moderate upgrades Bigger upgrades Case Study Ascot Vale Leisure Centre
Background Boom in leisure centre construction in 1970 s Generally poor environmental design Over 500 aquatic facilities in Victoria, 55% local government
Background High operating costs, carbon impact Energy costs typically second only to labour costs Indoor pools particularly energy intensive (maintain indoor conditions) Electricity Prices (AEMO) Gas Prices (AEMO)
Brief Review of Energy Breakdown of energy consumption in typical leisure centres Typical Pool Facility Energy Consumption (Trianti-Stourna et al) 9% 3% 10% 33% 45% Pool space heating & ventilation Water heating Heating & vent to remainder of building Power & Lighting Hot water (ie. showers)
Comfort Conditions in Leisure Centres
Comfort Conditions in Leisure Centres Pool hall 28-30 C High vent rate
Comfort Conditions in Leisure Centres Pool hall 28-30 C High vent rate
Comfort Conditions in Leisure Centres Exercise rooms (bikes, aerobics etc.) 18 C
Comfort Conditions in Leisure Centres Low activity rooms Yoga, pilates, meditation 21-24 C
Energy The Great Escape Main factors affecting energy loss in leisure centres: Building Construction Plant & Equipment Building Operation & Controls
Building Construction
Building Construction Roof & Wall Conduction
Building Construction Roof & Wall Construction Thermal Bridging
Building Construction Window Conduction
Building Construction Window Conduction
Building Construction Floor Conduction
Building Construction Ventilation & Air Infiltration
Building Construction Ventilation & Air Infiltration Air locks on entrances
Building Construction Airtightness Blower door test
Building Construction Airtightness Fix leaks at construction joints, windows & doors Generally disruptive
Plant & Equipment Typical plant & energy savings
Plant & Internal Conditions Pool Hall AHUs
Plant & Equipment Exercise rooms & yoga rooms
Plant & Equipment Other plant Hot water heaters, pumps, refrigerant systems
Plant & Equipment A bit more on Boilers & Pumps
Building Operation & Controls Automatic Controls Building Management System (BMS)
Building Operation & Controls Automatic Controls Building Management System
Building Operation & Controls Pool AHU Time scheduling ie. weekends Monitor/Control temp & humidity Reduce ventilation & temp overnight Schedule early warm-up (comfort) If pool can be opened to outside link AHU operation to doors
Building Operation & Controls Exercise Rooms & Yoga Rooms Schedule plant for class times; or Have an on button in room, with run-on timer plant turns off Adjust temperature Test wider dead-band improve energy consumption careful of comfort Take advantage of free cooling Link operation to windows reduce waste
Building Operation & Controls Lighting Automatic off after-hours, or when no-one active for 30mins (occupant sensors) Occupant sensors for back of house areas Automatic dimming during good daylight
Building Operation & Controls Common building operation issues which impact energy/comfort When energy is prioritised at expense of comfort Temperatures uncomfortably hot or cold to reduce energy Humidity too high due to ventilation rate being reduced When comfort is prioritised at expense of energy Temperature set-points lower/higher than necessary Very close dead-bands - units always on Controls have been permanently modified or adjusted by building users Poor or irregular maintenance of plant
What to Do Energy & Plant Assessments Energy modelling and benchmarking against other leisure centres Assessment of plant operation & identifying easy wins Create a shopping list of improvements set priorities & budget
What to Do - Easy wins Improvements which don t require upgrades: Check AHUs, AC units and lights are switched off outside occupied hours Match demand to supply Does everything need to come on at the same time? Can some AC units switch off for parts of the day, when rooms unused? Check doors/windows closed during operation Or use free cooling by opening windows & switching off AC Check heating and cooling not operating at same time If heat recovery present check it s working (particularly on pool AHUs) Check thermostats are set to reasonable temperatures Regular maintenance of plant to maintain efficiency Monitor electricity and gas consumption monthly know what is normal Staff training & awareness set targets & make them visible
What to Do - Simple Upgrades Improvements involving simple upgrades: Install a pool cover overnight can cut pool energy by 10-30%, can allow to turn off/turn down ventilation overnight without condensation Replace light fittings with LEDs Label light switches and encourage staff to switch off Install occupant sensors to switch off lighting in back of house areas Install time-clock controllers on plant and lighting (if not installing BMS) If BMS or local controls are already installed Review temperature set-points and dead-bands widen dead-bands where possible If data available check that plant is operating as expected Where practical, install 7 day timers on gym equipment (parasitic power) Insulate hot water pipes where not insulated
What to Do - Moderate Upgrades Improvements involving more moderate upgrades: Install simple BMS to control main plant (ie. AHUs, boilers, fans). Fit VSDs to pumps & fans where practical Refurbish AHU fans to high efficiency (ie. EC fans) Refurbish or install heat recovery systems if practical Assess whether solar water heating would be effective free energy Install insulation to accessible roof and wall areas where insulation isn t present (be careful with materials in humid areas)
What to Do - Bigger Upgrades Bigger upgrades: Install full Building Management System, and connect AHUs, AC units, lighting etc. Make sure: Space temperatures & dead-bands can be controlled centrally Plant and equipment can be time scheduled consolidated table on BMS Energy saving features, ie. economy cycle operation, is clearly illustrated Data logging & graphing (ie. 12 months) so medium-term operation can be reviewed Connect electrical & gas meters where possible, for monitoring and logging
What to Do - Bigger Upgrades Bigger upgrades: Where refurbishment works are already occurring, consider other disruptive upgrades: Testing and improving airtightness of the building Replacing single glazing with double glazing and frames with no thermal bridging Extensive replacement or installation of insulation Plant replacement Replace pool AHU with heat recovery AHU, efficient EC fans Replace boilers where at the end of economic life Replace AC units in exercise rooms, gyms, yoga rooms etc. where at end of economic life Add economy cycle where possible for free cooling, and connect to BMS
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre 1970 s era leisure centre, near Flemington 25m indoor pool (6 lanes), learn to swim & warm water pools Much of the AC plant was original, or at end of economic life
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre Expansion to 8 lane pool & leisure pool HVAC refurbishment at same time Other areas of AVLC remained operational during works
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre HVAC works undertaken Replacement of Pool AHU with heat recovery AHU Gym/fitness room roof AHUs replaced with high efficiency units Addition of BMS to monitor/control plant and AC units Inclusion of Economy cycle AC units where practical
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre Significant improvement in comfort conditions humidity and temp Good control of plant operation & temperatures Data logging and central monitoring by building operator
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre Review currently underway of building operation Initial data over first 6 months 10% reduction in gas, 5% reduction in electricity before tuning Significant additional gains likely through tuning, including: Re-scheduling AC operation to match occupancy Turn off plant early (without impacting comfort) Turn down pool AHU overnight Relaxing dead-bands in fitness rooms Tuning economy cycles of AHUs Work with operator & staff to get easy wins
Thank You Questions - luke.treadwell@arup.com