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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">You may be able to justify other sources of information due to your circumstances – the wording in 90.1 works well for electricity and natural gas.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">For the same reasons you have trouble finding fuel oil pricing for Alaska, the 90.1 committee probably didn’t have a lot of fuel oil cost examples to go on either.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">This is an example where there are a set of rules in place to regulate the process, but the result may not reflect reality for such a volatile price commodity as diesel fuel….it would be much better if the pricing
was allowed to be based on futures pricing in my opinion…particularly if the building won’t be operating for a year after design, the surveyed fuel oil data could be two or three years old in some cases….<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">My suggestion would be at the end to run a sensitivity on the fuel price. In this way you may be able to show that at the low estimte for price per gallon the points claimed are A and given the higher fuel price
estimate, the claimed fuel points are B.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">If A and B are close, then it helps the case that the data source isn’t important for your specific building, and include that in your submission.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">If B is much higher than A, then your submission package should include thorough documentation for why you used the data that you based the pricing on and leave it at that…don’t muddy the water by including what
you didn’t use because you thought it wasn’t reliable data….just make the case for the quality of the data that you did use and absence of data from the traditional source.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Then let the client know that there are (B - A) points for EAC1 that are tentantive in the deisgn submittal pending approval of the pricing used during the review.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">David<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">David S. Eldridge, Jr., P.E., LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, BEAP, HBDP</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#244061">Grumman/Butkus Associates</span></b><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Equest-users [mailto:equest-users-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Chris Baker<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 08, 2015 3:04 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> equest-users@lists.onebuilding.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Equest-users] Questions about utility rates<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I was able to get this resolved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">For electricity I got an actual number from the client.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Fuel oil pricing for Alaska was more complicated and I’m hoping this info helps others in the future…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">For starters, there is an army database called AEWRS that can be used to get energy info for army installations but to access it you need a CAC card and it is inaccessible to civilians.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Thanks to Bert Ward for finding this!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I’ve been told the numbers on this database are very generic and not specific to any one Army installation – which might not be helpful depending on what you’re looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><a href="http://army-energy.hqda.pentagon.mil/reporting/aewrs.asp">http://army-energy.hqda.pentagon.mil/reporting/aewrs.asp</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">EIA apparently has very little cost data for Alaska because it is excluded from EIA’s ‘SHOPP’ survey for heating fuels.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">If you open the EIA “winter heating fuels” you see that Alaska has “no cost data” available.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><a href="http://www.eia.gov/special/heatingfuels/">http://www.eia.gov/special/heatingfuels/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">But EIA does popup with some links to other sources of data.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">One is the “Alaska Energy Data Gateway” – which has community specific energy data and even some data for military installations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><a href="https://akenergygateway.alaska.edu/">https://akenergygateway.alaska.edu/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">There is also an Alaska community database which has energy data specific to certain cities/towns/villages in the state.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><a href="http://commerce.state.ak.us/cra/DCRAExternal/">http://commerce.state.ak.us/cra/DCRAExternal/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I’m assuming since EIA doesn’t have average heating fuel data, these links provided by EIA would be sufficient for estimating unit cost.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">But ASHRAE isn’t clear whether or not EIA has to be the source of the utility pricing in cases where the pricing is tracked by organisations other than EIA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">I’ve decided to move forward for now using this data and I’ll address it should the need arise during review.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Maybe ASHRAE could even use some rewording to address this in the future? That’s an entirely different topic, however.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Based on what I’m seeing Alaska isn’t the only state excluded from EIA’s heating fuel surveys.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">So I would assume these other states would also have programs to track heating fuel cost data at the state level.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Chris Baker<br>
CCI CAD Drafter<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"> Equest-users [<a href="mailto:equest-users-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org">mailto:equest-users-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Chris Baker<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 07, 2015 4:22 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:equest-users@lists.onebuilding.org">equest-users@lists.onebuilding.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Equest-users] Questions about utility rates<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been discussing this with some other fellow modelers lately but thought I would throw it out there.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have a model that is complete but having some issues with figuring out utility rates.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m looking for some insight into what I could do here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This project is a 13,000 square foot building on an army base here in Alaska.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For utility rates, you are supposed to either use the actual rates – or the EIA national average for your state if that number cannot be obtained.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The government (this is a military base) and their utility contractor have not been forthcoming with an estimated cost per KWH (and it isn’t the structure they use to calculate costs).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Despite trying to reconnect with them today, we can’t even get an estimated cost of electricity per KWH.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We even tried to contact the utility contractor directly, today, to get something to estimate with but they won’t reveal any numbers for proprietary reasons.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It appears they charge the government an undisclosed monthly fee for providing electricity that can waiver depending on the coal market.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not even sure how you would use that to calc out price per kWH nor do I know how accurate it would be.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So we are pretty much forced to go with the EIA state average for electricity (which is fine).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For fuel oil I will need to be using the EIA national average for my state of Alaska also. However EIA doesn’t appear to document average prices for heating fuel for Alaska.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The latest cost per gallon documented per EIA for distillate fuel oil is $3.18/gallon<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I then found an online publication put together by the State of Alaska documenting the actual cost of heating fuel for 2014 in the project city of Fairbanks, Alaska.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That cost is $4.09/gallon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is an actual published number from the State of Alaska – not an estimate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m kind of at a crossroads here. I’m leery about using the 4.09 number because it is so much higher than the most current number documented by EIA.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In your opinion, would you stick with the EIA number of $3.18/gallon even though you know the actual figure is higher?
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would certainly eliminate potential review issues.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chris Baker<br>
CCI CAD Drafter<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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