Is your building ready for the future? Are you struggling to balance emissions reductions, ESG goals, and the demands of aging equipment? The Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings offers a clear path forward for building owners and engineers to navigate the complex challenge of future-proofing your building.
Learn about how this innovative knowledge-sharing platform can help you create cost-effective, long-term decarbonization strategies for large buildings.
This guide from The Clean Fight and RMI helps building owners and managers understand how high-temperature heat pumps can decarbonize steam and hot-water space heating systems. It outlines key benefits, technology basics, example products, and strategies for effective retrofit integration. High-temperature heat pumps offer a new, less disruptive path to electrification for buildings with steam or hot water distribution.
Summary:
Waste heat isn’t waste—it’s an untapped resource. Recovering energy that would otherwise be rejected from a building can both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the economics of decarbonization projects. This applies across a range of uses, including space heating, heating ventilation air, and domestic water. To maximize the impact of decarbonization retrofits, it’s essential to consider energy recovery during the planning process. By identifying and thoughtfully integrating heat recovery solutions early on, project teams can reduce energy demand, improve system efficiency, and enhance the overall cost-effectiveness of building upgrades.
Spreadsheet tools available for download on this page have been developed to make energy recovery analysis in retrofit planning easier and increase awareness for energy recovery in initial project planning and data collection. The tools provided are not comprehensive design tools but can generate inputs for energy and financial analyses used in investment decision making.
While these spreadsheet tools may be used for any building type, they were developed with existing, large commercial and multi-family properties in mind. Recommended users include staff within the building owner’s organization (e.g., facility manager, chief engineer, energy manager) or consultants supporting a building owner to develop a strategic decarbonization plan.
Source and Sink Inventory Tool
Purpose: Identify locations where waste energy can be captured (sources) and where the recovered energy can be applied (sinks) for evaluation during the retrofit planning process.
Phase: This tool is best used during the Pre-Planning phase when examining a building’s current conditions.
Inputs: Targeted existing condition information from the building’s systems.
Outputs: Transparent characterization and documentation of energy recovery and renewable heat sources relevant to the building to support energy analysis in following phases.
Download Source & Sinks Inventory ToolEnergy Recovery Mapping Tool
Purpose: Compare building-specific data for source(s) and sink(s) to estimate potential energy recovery. Default assumptions and data are included to streamline the process. The following common use cases are included in the tool:
Phase: This spreadsheet tool is intended to supplement other engineering and financial analysis tools during the Planning phase. Additionally, it is recommended the team review the spreadsheet tool during the Pre-Planning phase and identify data collection needs. This is critical, because if data isn’t already being collected the metering will need to be initiated and data collected over a range of operating conditions (e.g. throughout the winter).
Inputs: Input requirements are dependent on the use case:
Uses cases 1 & 2: Short-interval (e.g., hourly) data for source(s) and sink(s) relevant to the energy recovery use case(s) to be evaluated. The data is typically collected using data trending through the building automation system. Additional metering (e.g., thermal energy “BTU” meters) may need to be installed. Data collected should also be reviewed for accuracy and completeness and normalized for factors such as outside air temperature. If data cannot be collected from the building explore leveraging an energy model for estimates.
Use case 3: Attributes about the building’s occupancy, domestic hot water usage, and wastewater.
Use case 4: Attributes about the building’s air distribution system.
Outputs: Annual load and recoverable heat per use case. Data collection initiated to support future heat mapping.
Download Energy Recovery Mapping ToolCharrette Overview
A charrette is a focused, collaborative convening of diverse stakeholders. In planning a building decarbonization project, charrettes are a powerful tool for establishing a holistic understanding of a building’s existing conditions and needs, aligning stakeholders, developing creative solutions, and accelerating the retrofit design process.
Context
While charrettes can be used within multiple contexts, this resource has been developed to support the review of a preliminary retrofit plan. The preliminary retrofit plan scope is developed based on existing building conditions, high-level energy data and calculations, as well as the team’s expertise and prior project experience. Having a charrette at this point in the process allows for early feedback about the retrofit scope and alignment with project goals. It provides an opportunity for collaborative problem-solving and the development of creative solutions, as multi-disciplinary stakeholders are brought together to iterate on the retrofit. More detailed energy and financial analysis will occur after the charrette and may drive scope change as the team uses results to optimize the retrofit.
Templates Overview
The following templates have been developed to reduce the effort required to include a charrette in retrofit planning and guide project teams through the charrette process. The format of the templates is intentionally basic so your organization(s)’ presentation format and logos can easily be added.
The templates are intended to be used by the design team to gather feedback and develop consensus from project stakeholders on the following topics:
Three templates are available for download and are designed to work together. These include:
Pre-Read Template: Use this template to develop a project-specific pre-read document that can help inform the charrette discussion. This template offers a preset agenda for the charrette and provides space to clearly define project goals, trigger events, and a high-level summary of the retrofit plan. To maximize benefit from the charrette it is important that attendees arrive with a solid understanding of the information provided in the pre-read. Therefore, it is recommended the document remain as concise as possible and is sent to attendees with sufficient time for them to review.
Download the Pre-Read TemplateCharrette Presentation Template: This easily customizable slide deck template provides a framework and content to guide project teams through the charrette. The intended outcomes from the charrette are level setting stakeholders on the project’s status and plans, collecting feedback, and ideation.
Download the Presentation TemplatePost-Charrette Report Template: Use this template to capture outputs from the charrette and distribute to project stakeholders. The report is intended to support the team in coming to consensus on goals, retrofit triggers, and the preliminary retrofit plan. Once finalized, it can be used as a basis for moving into the detailed analysis phase.
Download the Post-Read Template
NYSERDA and Building Energy Exchange, in collaboration with RMI and Ember Strategies, are excited to offer a comprehensive three-part Strategic Decarbonization Planning training series designed to help industry professionals tackle complex retrofit projects with confidence. Tailored for professionals in engineering, real estate, and technology, this training series will equip participants with the tools and knowledge to drive practical, cost-effective low-carbon retrofits in large buildings. Grounded in lessons learned from NYSERDA’s Empire Building Challenge and their innovative retrofit demonstration projects, participants will learn how to:
Don’t miss the chance to attend live training sessions for all three courses at Building Energy Exchange in downtown Manhattan. Read more about our high-impact, solutions driven training series below:
This first course of the series will explore Resource Efficient Decarbonization (RED) as a replicable solutions framework used to develop carbon neutrality roadmaps for large buildings in cold climates. Using real-world examples from Empire Building Challenge retrofit projects, participants will learn how to apply the RED framework to create comprehensive, long-term decarbonization plans for their buildings. Additionally, the training will review a range of technical solutions for decarbonizing buildings, highlighting how prioritization of these technologies can optimize retrofits.
The second course will focus on the finance and asset planning components of strategic decarbonization. Participants will learn how to evaluate and align technical solutions with economic realities and long-term asset strategies to inform decision-making. This course will also provide guidance on crafting compelling business case narratives that build stakeholder support and unlock investment for retrofits. By the end of the training, participants will be equipped to develop persuasive business cases that advance building decarbonization projects.
The third course of the series will be a highly interactive session offering a hands-on introduction to building decarbonization planning – delivered in a dynamic, game-based format. The session begins with a brief review of key concepts from the first two courses, then, participants will break into small groups to create a mock decarbonization plan for a real-world building scenario. Teams will evaluate strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while weighing factors such as costs, trigger events, and other site- specific considerations. Come prepared to collaborate, apply your skills, and dive into the decision- making process behind effective building decarbonization.
This resource is available to aid design teams and building owners in navigating the complexities of rapidly shifting supply chains. It will provide up-to-date information on lead times and pricing for key equipment essential to the design and implementation of low-carbon building and retrofit projects in large commercial buildings. It will be updated semi-annually to reflect changes in the supply chain.
As the world grapples with the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the built environment has become a critical focus area to deliver progress. Buildings are significant contributors to global carbon emissions, and transitioning to more sustainable, low-carbon operations is essential for meeting climate goals. Planning for that transition now, through a thoughtful and rational approach, is key to achieving success over time.
Design charrettes are an important tool project teams can use to support their decarbonization planning work. These collaborative design review workshops bring together diverse stakeholders to develop and refine strategies for reducing carbon emissions from buildings over time.
A design charrette is an intensive, multi-disciplinary workshop aimed at finding and refining solutions to complex problems. The term originated in 19th century Paris and refers to the practice of design students working intensely on their projects until the last minute, when a cart or “charrette” would be wheeled around to collect their final designs. The term has evolved to describe collaborative sessions that bring together developers, designers, domain experts, community members, and an array of other stakeholders to reach mutually beneficial outcomes. In the context of building decarbonization, design charrettes facilitate the rapid development of actionable (and at times substantially more innovative) strategies to reduce emissions from buildings, with alignment among multiple interested parties.
Charrettes are conducted just after a decarbonization concept plan is created and initial decarbonization measures are framed. A successful charrette requires being prepared to discuss the existing conditions of the building in detail, various decarbonization measures and approaches considered, and an understanding of the social and market conditions influencing the building owner’s decision making. The charrette process includes:
Design charrettes are a powerful tool for addressing complex decarbonization challenges, especially in the planning and early implementation phase. With collaboration, creativity, and iteration, charrettes enable the development of effective and sustainable strategies to reduce carbon emissions from buildings.
Through the Empire Building Challenge (EBC), NYSERDA is supporting forward-thinking leaders in the real estate and engineering industries, in the quest to find workable and scalable, cost-effective approaches to retrofit tall, complex, and hard-to-decarbonize buildings in New York. Partners and projects funded through the flagship $50 million demonstration program are working to reach a zero-emissions future. The groundbreaking work of these leaders is presented in this Playbook, which showcases a novel, compelling framework that can unlock opportunities for decarbonizing most buildings in a cost-effective manner, over time. We call the framework Resource Efficient Decarbonization.
To date, NYSERDA has partnered with 27 commercial and multifamily real estate owners who have committed to eliminate carbon emissions from some of New York State’s tallest and most iconic buildings. These partners have pledged to decarbonize over 128 million square feet of space, and more than 3,500 units of affordable housing. The scale of these partner commitments and the early success of EBC demonstration projects sends a clear signal that New York’s real estate industry is ready to accelerate investment in the buildings of the future.
Beyond these commitments, EBC partners collectively control and manage over 400 million square feet of real estate in New York. This amounts to over 20% of commercial office space in New York City, and more than 200,000 housing units throughout the State, representing a potential for impact much greater than the sum of its parts. The lessons learned during the planning, design, and implementation of EBC projects pave the way for the most viable solutions to gain traction and scale throughout the State, reinforcing progress toward the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.
Understand the real-world implications and successes of the Empire Building Challenge through this in-depth article, “How to get New York City’s biggest buildings to zero carbon,” by Canary Media. This piece highlights the practical steps and measures being taken to reduce carbon footprints across New York’s architectural landscape, showcasing the challenge as a beacon for carbon-neutral aspirations worldwide.
Insights from the Empire Building Challenge
The Strategic Decarbonization Assessment calculator is a valuable tool that allows building owners and retrofit teams to align their asset decarbonization strategies with their capital investment strategies. The SDA is designed to integrate assessment of multiple requirements including optimizing net present value, replacing equipment close to end of life, avoiding compliance fees, and coordinating electrification of fossil fuel equipment with future electric grid decarbonization.
The SDA is a long-term financial planning tool for building owners to manage carbon emissions and energy use. During the Empire Building Challenge program, the tool guided participants in refining their decarbonization scenarios and identifying the most cost-effective decarbonization plans. Several teams were able to show positive net present value for their decarbonization plans compared to business as usual. This process can benefit many buildings and property owners in New York in better quantifying, representing, and identifying optimal decarbonization scenarios.
The SDA tool was built by Arup and Ember Strategies. It was previously developed for the San Francisco Department of the Environment and modified for NYSERDA use in the Empire Building Challenge.
Download SDA OverviewThe SDA tool was created as the one-stop shop for the development and modeling of the business case that supports initiating a decarbonization roadmap. The SDA tool below was developed based on ASHRAE Standard 211 normative forms with a variety of users and use cases across the United States in mind.
The tables and charts on the “Summary (Print Me)” tab outline assumptions, costs, savings, decarbonization trajectory and alignment with NYC’s LL97 requirements. The bar charts and trajectories on this tab should be a graphical representation of the narrative explanation of your plan and business case from the “Narrative & Measures” and “Alternatives” tabs. The “Carbon emissions per year, before offsets” and the “Relative NPV of Alternatives” charts on the “Summary (Print Me)” tab should illustrate the sequencing and timing of equipment replacement, relationships between ECMs and savings/costs.
The table below describes inputs of the SDA tool and directions associated with each.
On the “Building info and assumptions” tab, users input basic information about the building: floor areas, space types, fuel types and consumption (bill) data. The “Building info and assumptions” tab enables users to communicate building information in a highly customized way at a very granular level. Default values do not need to be changed unless the business case is materially impacted by these estimates (i.e. maintenance costs are reducing in addition to energy costs). Most of these assumptions are found in the “Real Estate Characteristics” drop down menu. Use the drop-down menu to change the default escalations rates for general costs and specific fuel costs over time. Sensitivity analyses that explore a variety of future rate scenarios are encouraged to show that you have considered the sensitivity/fragility/resilience of your plan in a variety of futures.
The “Regulatory Assumptions” drop down on this tab includes NYSERDA default values for fuel specific emissions factors stipulated by LL97. This section also automatically calculates the building’s LL97 emissions limits for the 2024-2029 and 2030-2034 time periods using building typology and GSF inputs on the same tab. Please note: As of 2024, the SDA tool has not been updated to reflect any recent changes to LL97 building classes and missions factors.
On the “Equipment Inventory” tab, users will input major energy using equipment. All the fossil fuel equipment and at least 80% of total energy using equipment should be inventoried and reported on this tab. Very similar or identical equipment can be grouped into one row (e.g. multiple AHUs of generally the same size and age). The date of installation is required as it determines the equipment life and is used to define the Business As Usual (BAU) trajectory – existing equipment is projected to continue functioning until it reaches End of Useful Life and is replaced, like for like, at that time. User-input costs for the like for like replacement are also required inputs to complete the BAU trajectory. Please note, the estimated replacement cost and year installed are required inputs for the SDA graphics. Replacement costs for decarbonization measures and BAU equipment replacement need not be overly precise – these cost numbers should be realistic to ensure ROI and NPV calculations are sufficient for comparative purposes.
NPV and savings calculations in the SDA are significantly influenced by major energy using equipment. To streamline SDA development and simplify analysis, project teams should focus on major equipment and group minor equipment together by age, if feasible. If you are not using the landlord/tenant cost/benefit breakout, keep all equipment in column I (Tenants Own/Operate) marked “No”. This tab also enables a simple summer/winter peak/off peak calculator for demand ECMs, but using this feature is optional and is not a replacement for a full 8760 hour model.
The “Percent energy/carbon by equipment RUL” graphics to the right (cell AY) should populate as expected if everything is input correctly. This visual is often used in business case narratives, but does not appear on the Summary tab.
On the “Narrative & Measures” tab, users narratively define their alternatives and input all the ECMs (costs and energy/carbon impacts) that will be assigned to years on the “Alternatives” tab. The SDA automatically generates two BAU cases: one in which LL97 compliance is not sought and fines are applied, and one in which LL97 compliance is achieved through carbon offsets alone.
Note the measure life column is a critical input as it determines how long the measure’s savings will persist – if the measure ends without replacement, the corresponding uptick in energy/carbon on that year will show in the trajectory graphs.
Some potential users may be generating detailed energy models and bringing the outputs from those models into the SDA. These users may streamline ECMs to minimize data entry and rely on the narrative explanation of the measures. The simplest ECM list in this case may be “Year 1 ECMs”, “Year 2 ECMs”, etc. with corresponding costs and benefits; but be advised that users must explain their measures very clearly where they have aggregated costs and benefits.
On the “Alternatives” tab, users schedule ECMs and review the bar charts and trajectories between those Alternatives. The charts on this tab should illustrate the business case consistent with the narrative section. As stated before, the landlord vs. tenant breakdown for ECMs is not required (column H of Alternatives) and the subsequent charts can be disregarded if not used. Note the Holding period and Analysis periods can be varied independently, but most EBC users keep both set for 20 years.
The “Total Relative NPV Compared to Baseline – Varying Time Horizons” chart (cell AZ) is very commonly used in internal business cases to evaluate cost-effectiveness of the Alternatives over different time horizons, but it is not included on the Summary tab.
Most of the calculations happen on the “Operating Statements” tab, where an annual operating statement is created for each alternative/baseline for the 20-year analysis period. Users can review these statements as needed; however, it is not recommended to edit this portion of the tool directly. This is typically done when troubleshooting a trajectory chart that does not match user expectations.
The SDA tool is available for download below, including a blank version as well as a version with data from a sample building.
Four instructional videos detailing each step of the SDA process are linked below:
This website is brought to you in partnership by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, RMI, Building Energy Exchange, and Urban Land Institute.
