Page 78 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 3

CASE STUDY NO. 14 CALIFORNIA DMV FIELD OFFICE
California DMV Field Office
Case Study No. 14
Data Summary
Building Type: Government
Service Office
Location: Fresno, CA
Gross Floor Area: 19,080 gsf Occupied: 2014
Energy Modeling Software:
Post-design only eQuest v. 3.65
Modeled EUI (Site):
52.5 kBtu/sf-year
Measured EUI (Site):
38.6 kBtu/sf-year (2015-16)
On-Site Renewable Energy System Installed:
304 kW (DC) Solar PV
Measured On-Site Energy Production:
252,000 kWh/year (2015-16) 43.4 kBtu/sf-year (2015-16)
Owner/Client
State of California
Department of Motor Vehicles - Client/User
Department of General Services (DGS) - Project Management
Design Team
Architect: SIM-PBK, Fresno, CA
Structural Engineer: Advanced Structural Design Incorporated, Fresno, CA
Mechanical/Plumbing Engi- neer: LP Consulting Engineers, Clovis, CA
Electrical Engineer and Lighting Design: Hardin-Davidson Engi- neering Group, Clovis, CA
Landscape Architect: Robert Boro, Fresno, CA
General Contractor
Durham Construction, Clovis, CA
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The subject of this case study is a type of building that is repeatedly built with the same program elements and in relatively large numbers as new or replacement buildings. What differs is the climate at the site and occasionally the gross size of the facility. It is instructive to see what ZNE design strategies are common to such similar-functioning buildings and how the location and site affect the application of those strategies.
In addition, the generic type of building in this case is state-owned, dispersed throughout the state and providing public service functions that every person in the state can utilize. This ex- posure makes the incorporation of ZNE design features particularly noticeable and informative, signaling to users of the building a change in priorities of the State of California in how its build- ings are designed and constructed.
To that end, the governor of California issued AN executive order in 2012 requiring all state- owned buildings to be ZNE according to a number of scheduled deadlines:
“It is further ordered that all new State buildings and major renovations beginning design after 2025 be constructed as Zero Net Energy facilities with an interim target for 50% of new facilities beginning design after 2020 to be Zero Net Energy. State agencies shall also take measures toward achieving Zero Net Energy for 50% of the square footage of existing state- owned building area by 2025.” 1
As a result of the schedule milestones of this executive order, various state agencies immedi- ately developed plans to implement the requirements. This case study describes the first steps taken by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Background
The DMV annually revises its five-year plan for replacing or renovating current facilities. In 2013, the agency responded to the governor’s executive order about planning for ZNE buildings in the near future, in particular to address the goal that 50% of the square footage of existing building area be ZNE by 2025. To get a head start on the latter, considering the large number of existing DMV buildings across the state, the DMV decided to convert an in-progress replacement project, then a few months into construction in the City of Fresno, to a ZNE facility. Other DMV projects that had not yet begun design or construction—all programmatically similar field offices—were designated to be ZNE, but none was quite as affected by the change to the requirements as the Fresno project.
Design Process and Low Energy Design Strategies
Originally designated as an on-site replacement building that would be nearly twice the size of the original 11,000 sq. ft., 46-year old facility, the new building began design in 2008-9. The de- sign was mandated to be LEED-Silver certified, which enabled the design team to adopt strate- gies that maximized energy efficiency if life-cycle cost analysis showed that such strategies were cost effective. First-cost was not the only basis for design decisions. The final design, completed before the ZNE Executive Order B-18-12, therefore incorporated the correct basic design strat- egies to minimize energy use needed for ZNE performance with an on-site renewable energy source.
The project design and construction was managed at the state level by the Department of Gen- eral Services (DGS), who utilized the standard design-bid-build process. After the successful bid process, the selected general contractor was awarded the contract and began construction
1 Governor’s Executive Order EO B-18-12. See https://www.gov.ca.gov/2012/04/25/ news17508/ and http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/climate_action_team/documents/Green_ Building_Action_Plan.pdf.
Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 3