Launch of Sustainable Energy Ireland Awards 2007

Musgrave Group Head Office Construction ProjectWinner: Best Renewable Energy Project 2006

Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise

7th February 2007

John Curran, Group Environmental Executive

Musgrave Group

• Founded in 1876,

• Private Company, Family and Employee Owned

• Active family involvement; Chairman and 3 Directors

• Distribution and Franchise Business based in Ireland

• Operating in Ireland, UK and Spain

• Turnover 2006, ca. €5.0 Billion

• Estimated 25% share of retail trade in Ireland

• > 2500 retail stores, >25 Distribution Centres and Wholesale premises

• 40,000 direct/indirect employees.

The Building • Musgrave House, floor-area 2000M2

• Annual Electrical Consumption 200,000kWh

• Group head-office departments including;• Finance

• Information Technology

• Commercial

• Human Resources

• Group Board Directors.

• Headcount approximately 80 people.

The ChallengesProject aimed to:

• design and build an energy efficient office building

• achieve the lowest possible emissions of CO2 and other Greenhouse gases,

• Employ both active and passive means.

• Demonstrate our commitment to sustainability as defined in our policies on:– Environmental and Social Accountability

– Energy and Natural Resources Management

• Deliver economic and environmental benefits

3 Basic Design Principles

To minimise the building’s carbon footprint by:

1. Reducing the energy requirement through better (passive) design in the first instance

2. Giving preference to renewable energy in addition to the above requirements

3. Improving efficiency and optimising energy use.

1. Reducing Energy Requirements

• Alignment of the building so as to make best use of available shelter from the prevailing south-westerly winds

• Increased insulation thicknesses in exterior cladding

• High specification (low u-value) double glazing to reduce heat losses in winter

• Shading to reduce solar gain in summer

• Internal layout of offices and the use of a central atrium so as to maximise the use of ambient daylight in offices and public spaces.

2 Giving Preference to Renewables

• Opted for a 160kW Geothermal Heating Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) System

– accesses renewable solar energy contained in ground water on site through 12 circulation coils contained in 150 metre-deep vertical boreholes.

• Chose a 6.5kW solar/thermal water heating system

– incorporates roof mounted panels to provide all of the building’s hot water needs and which is connected to a storage system with a mains back-up heater if required.

3. Efficiency and Optimisation • Intelligent automatic lighting control system including;

– Occupancy sensors

– Ambient daylight level sensors

– Energy efficient fittings and lamps

• Controls to prevent unnecessary use of energy or simultaneous heating and cooling

• A building energy management system to control energy use and operational performance.

• Integration of the building into Musgrave Energy Monitoring and targeting Programme

The Business Case

• The additional ‘greener’ features increased the building’s construction budget (+6.0%), however, Musgrave Group Board approved the capital allocation on the basis that the design would:

– Reduce energy demand and GHG emissions during the building’s life-cycle

– Lower the building’s operating costs

– Articulate Musgrave values and our position on the Sustainability

– Promote Sustainable energy by example

Benefits of design features

• controlling heat loss/gain characteristics, allowed us to reduce the capacity of the geothermal system needed to achieve optimum comfort levels, thereby reducing energy demand further

• the HVAC system uses fresh outside air, unlike many conventional re-circulating air-conditioning systems

• Air entering the AHU is heated or cooled only as required taking ambient conditions into account

• Additional ‘trimming’ of temperature can be carried out locally by ceiling mounted cassette units

Consumption and Emissions

Energy Source1000 kWh CO2 Emissions tonnes

Typical Planned Actual Typical Planned Actual

             

Oil 397.5 0.0 0.0 104.9 0.0 0.0

             

Electricity 397.5 414.0 200.0 248.0 258.3 115.4

             

Total 795.0 414.0 200.0 353.0 258.3 124.8

             

Reduction   381.0 595.0   94.6 228.2

             

Reduction %   48% 75%   27% 65%

Oil=0.264kg CO2/kWh Electricity=0.624kg CO2/kWh

Electrical Demand Profile

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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Musgrave Group HO Week Ending On: 06/08/2006

Performance

Green Electricity 2007

Our recent Green Electricity Deal with Energia means that the building’s emissions will effectively be Zero, saving almost 125 tonnes of CO2 per annum and an additional 13,500 tonnes in our other facilities.

Heating and Cooling System Efficiency Comparisons

Assumptions:

• Heating demand 30 weeks and cooling demand 22 weeks of each year

• Design heating and cooling load 160kW for 12 hours a day, 5 days a week

• Geothermal efficiency 4 to 1, so 40kW input delivers 160kW output

• Conventional A/C efficiency 2.5 to 1, so 64 kW input delivers 160kW output

‘Conventional’ System Operating Costs

Oil Heating:

160kW X 12 hours X 5 days X 30 weeks X €0.055/kWh = €15,840 p/a(1litre of heating oil is = 10.85kWh and costs around €0.60/litre)

Conventional A/C:

64kW X 12 hours X 5 days X 22 weeks X €0.13/kWh = €10,982 p/a

‘Conventional’ system total =€26,822 p/a

Geothermal System Operating CostsHeating:

40kW X 12 hours X 5 days X 30 weeks X 0.13/kWh = €9,360 p/a

Cooling:

40kW X 12 hours X 5 days X 22 weeks X 0.13/kWh = €6,864 p/a 

Geothermal system total     = €16,224 p/a

Heating/Cooling savings are around €10,598 p/a

Project summary

• Project agreed Dec 2004

• ‘Green’ features proposed Feb 2005

• Board approval for extra costs Mar 2005

• Local Authority planning approval April 2005

• Construction commenced June 2005

• Construction completed/Building occupied June 2006

• Project duration 18 months

• Total project cost approximately €4.6M,

• Additional Energy systems €280k

The End ResultOpen Windows

ConclusionProject demonstrated that:

• with proper planning and an enlightened approach, it is possible to develop more sustainable buildings

&

• the resultant additional expenditure can be more than recovered over the lifetime of the building.

So was it all worth the effort?

Most definitely!!!

Thank You