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Visit here often for the latest news about Henneman Engineering, Inc.

 

University of North Texas Apogee Stadium

Nation’s First LEED Platinum Designation Goes to UNT Apogee Stadium

Henneman Engineering is proud to be part of the team for this one-of-a-kind green venue.

The United States Green Building Council has awarded the University of North Texas Apogee Stadium the highest level of LEED certification, making it the first newly constructed collegiate football stadium in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum Certification.

 

As commissioning authority (CxA), Henneman Engineering offered constructive critique to the design team, provided supportive advice to the University, and facilitated open thinking in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and energy systems design and implementation. Testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) activities were also integrated into our comprehensive commissioning scope of work. The University used Henneman as a trusted advisor throughout the design and construction phases. The entire team was focused on achieving sustainable results without sacrificing functionality, quality, performance, or durability.

A few facts about the project:

  • New stadium is the centerpiece of Mean Green Village, the main athletic complex at UNT’s flagship campus in Denton, Texas.
  • High-performance stadium was designed with sustainability at the forefront and uses energy-efficient HVAC and lighting equipment, reducing energy consumption by 25 percent.
  • Low flow plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption by more than 52 percent.
  • Three 100kW wind turbines feed the electrical grid that powers the stadium, making Apogee the first collegiate stadium designed to incorporate onsite renewable wind energy.
  • UNT received a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office to install the wind turbines.
  • Web-based monitoring system provides details on energy production, carbon reduction statistics, and empirical data that can be used for educational and research purposes at UNT.
  • Stadium seating capacity is 31,000 with provisions to expand to 50,000 maximum in the future.
  • Open-air facility primarily used for football games, but also serves the entire North Texas region as a venue for outdoor concerts, community events, high school games, and band competitions.

To see more images of this project, click here.

To inquire about Commissioning Services or how Henneman Engineering can help meet the sustainability goals of your projects, please contact our Director of Commissioning:
Kyle M. Lambert, P.E., CEM, GBE, LEED AP
klambert@henneman.com
Office: 972.996.0500 - Cell: 214.724.2570

 

Did you know that reducing facility energy consumption by 10% is equivalent to eliminating 30 million vehicles from our roadways?

Through the Focus on Energy Retro-Commissioning Program, Henneman Engineering has recently helped a client reduce their energy costs by 14%, saving nearly $300,000 in the first year.  The Energy Star Rating for this facility jumped from 49 to 61, and maintenance cost savings is estimated at 12% for every 10% of energy costs.

 

Although commonly viewed as fixed expenses, energy costs associated with facility systems are under your control.  If you want to successfully manage your building's energy consumption and control costs, it may be time to explore retro-commissioning as a possible solution.

 

To go retro for maximum energy efficiency and savings, contact Tyson Glimme at Henneman Engineering today!  608-833-7000

 

energy. focused.  It’s More Than a Tagline Under the Corporate Logo

With more than half a century of energy-related experience, Henneman Engineering is passionate about green construction and an advocate of sustainable design. We believe that an organization-wide energy management approach will help our clients enhance their financial health and aid in preserving the environment for future generations.

To reinforce our commitment to protect the environment and help our clients save on their energy usage, Henneman Engineering has been accepted into several energy efficiency and incentive programs. These programs include:

ENERGY STAR® Partner

ComEd’s “Smart Ideas for Your Business” Technical Service Provider

Ameren Missouri Trade Ally Network Program

Ameren Illinois “Act on Energy” Program Ally

Illinois Institute of Technology (ITT) Sustainability Partners Program

Focus on Energy Retro-Cx Program in Wisconsin

Energy use and conservation have always been key elements associated with our building systems studies and design projects. We promote and practice design innovation in an effort to achieve buildings that are resource efficient. Our LEED Accredited Professionals provide design solutions that are based on sustainability and the principles of green building design.

With our vast array of experience, we can provide our clients with specific recommendations for their unique conditions.

 

 

Henneman Engineering Strikes Gold... Four Times

Henneman Enginnering is proud to announce that four of our projects have achieved LEED Gold certification in the first quarter of 2011!  Henneman Engineering takes the issues associated with energy conservation and corresponding impact to our environment very seriously. We fully embrace the concept of sustainable design and LEED Certification as developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.  With over 50 Henneman Engineering staff certified in Green Building design as LEED Accredited Professionals by the USGBC, we understand the protocols and services demanded for commissioning and LEED certification.

Our firm has five decades of experience designing mechanical and electrical systems for technology driven facilities.  Energy use and conservation have always been key design elements associated with systems selection and operation.  We have promoted and practiced design innovation in an effort to achieve buildings that are resource efficient.  This long-standing doctrine of leadership in energy and environmental design defines who we are and what we strive for as a firm.
 
We are very proud of the four projects that have achieved LEED Gold certification in the first quarter of 2011 and look forward to an opportunity to strike Gold for you!  To read more about these projects, please click here.

 

 

Solar Power Generation and Renewable Energy Installation

June, 2010 - Henneman Engineering is focused on renewable energy with the installation of Photo Voltaic (PV) solar arrays at their State Street office in Champaign, IL.  Henneman Engineering has received a $30,000 grant from the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and a $30,000 federal tax credit to subsidize funding of the solar energy project.   The payback for this system is approximately 2.5 years and about 60 percent of the installation costs were covered by grants.  In order to apply for a state grant or federal tax credit, certain qualifications must be met and a rebate agreement form must be submitted.  More information about federal and state grants in support of renewable energy can be found at this link: http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo/Bureaus/Energy_Recycling/Energy/Clean+Energy/01-RERP.htm


The PV system at the Henneman Engineering office has a peak power production of 11,500-Watts and will produce up to 21,681-kwh of energy per year while supplying 3 to 4 percent of the office’s energy needs.  If more energy is being produced than used at the Henneman office building, the unused energy is fed through the utility meter back to the Ameren utility company electrical grid.  

 

HWS Energy Partners provided a turn-key installation for the PV array at Henneman Engineering (www.hwsenergy.com/).  HWS President Lyle Wachtel believes that, “with the help from the sun, PV systems are able to produce an endless supply of clean, non-polluting energy which is completely safe for our environment”.  HWS has already developed three solar PV installations of approximately 12-kW each in the state of Illinois.

 

The PV panel used in the installation at Henneman Engineering is manufactured by First Solar (www.firstsolar.com/en/index.php).  First Solar “is committed to significantly reducing solar electricity costs globally by sustainably advancing module technology”.  PV panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. Sunlight excites electrons in a solar panel and then sends the electrons through an inverter that changes those photons into usable electricity.  The panels are made with crystalline silicon that are electrically charged in a semiconductor and then spread out in between two pieces of glass.  Each of the PV panels installed at Henneman Engineering has a maximum power output of 75-Watts.  At this maximum power output, each panel will produce 68.2-Volts DC and 1.10-Amps.  These panels can provide an 89% reduction in harmful air emissions if used to displace conventional energy generation technologies.


The DC energy produced by the PV panels flows through two inverters and then into the electrical distribution system at the Henneman office.  Inverters convert the direct current electricity generated by solar panels into grid-compatible alternating current.  The inverters at Henneman Engineering are manufactured by Sunny Boy (www.sma.de/en_US.html) and are suitable for a combined load of up to 12,000-Watts.  The output of the inverters is 208-Volt AC, single-phase.  Each inverter is rated for 6,000-Watts nominal and is operating at 4,500-Watts peak.   

 

Solar energy provides certain advantages when can be compared with other types of renewable energy.  Solar is advantageous over wind systems due to the following reasons: lower maintenance costs, silent operation, easier to find a suitable location to install, safety and no moving parts to wear out.

 

When being burdened with high energy costs, solar energy will help realize a reduction in these costs while minimizing pollution.  With the aid of state and federal grants, we can all participate in the effort to preserve our environment with renewable energy.

 

Click a thumbnail below to see a full size version.

 

 

Building Design and Construction has named Henneman Engineering one of the “Giants” of the design industry.

Henneman Engineering ranks 34th on Building Design and Construction magazine’s list of the nation’s top design engineering firms. Companies were selected based on the volume of commercial, institutional, industrial, and multifamily residential building work completed in 2008.

 

Building Design and Construction conducted three special reports this year, of which Henneman ranks in two this year: 138th in largest green design firms and 172nd in top building team LEED APs.

 

Building Design and Construction evaluates companies in 14 different sectors, of which Henneman ranks in five this year: 70th in healthcare design firms, 70th in university design firms, 35th in industrial design firms, 45th in institutional design firms, and 79th in reconstruction design firms.

 

For more information, visit www.bdcnetwork.com 

 

Henneman Engineering has once again been ranked among the “Giants” in engineering.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer announced their MEP Giants 2009—the largest engineering firms based on MEP design revenue in the previous year. Henneman Engineering comes in at #41 on the list. (Last year, our ranking was #59.)

 

To read the full article in the August issue of CSE, click on the following link.

 

www.csemag.com 

 

Henneman Engineering, Inc. Announces Partnership with ENERGY STAR®

Champaign, Illinois – Henneman Engineering, Inc. today announced a fundamental commitment to protect the environment by becoming an ENERGY STAR partner. Henneman Engineering, Inc.’s voluntary partnership with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR means that they will be working toward helping their clients improve the energy efficiency and performance of their facilities; Henneman Engineering, Inc. believes that an organization-wide energy management approach will help their clients enhance their financial health and aid in preserving the environment for future generations.

 

“Henneman Engineering is doing its part to meet the world’s growing energy demand by actively advising our clients on conservation techniques and the use of renewable fuels such as solar, wind and biofuels. In the new energy future we’ll need to think the impossible is possible. Our goal is to help our clients reduce environmental and greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions when designing, engineering, constructing and operating buildings”, says Michael J. Henneman, Chief Executive Officer.

 

In partnership with ENERGY STAR, we will help our clients to:

  • Measure and track the energy performance of their facilities in all locations.
  • Set a goal to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings by 15% or more, in support of the ENERGY STAR Challenge.

 

We will also:

  • Encourage our staff and community to learn about the benefits of energy efficiency and to implement appropriate energy efficiency measures.
  • Encourage other firms with whom we work with to join ENERGY STAR and take the ENERGY STAR Challenge.

 

By helping our clients reduce energy consumption by 15%, Henneman Engineering can save ~$2.76 Million per year in energy costs.

 

ABOUT ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary partnership between businesses, government and others united to protect our environment for future generations by changing to energy-efficient practices today. ENERGY STAR works with more than 9,000 partners to improve the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. Businesses can use ENERGY STAR to improve efficiency, enhance profits, and create a competitive advantage. In 2006 alone, ENERGY STAR helped businesses and consumers save more than $14 billion in energy costs while reducing global warming emissions equivalent to those from 25 million vehicles. See www.energystar.gov

 

 

Henneman Engineering Honored with International ASHRAE Award

ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) has honored Henneman Engineering, Inc. with the Society’s prestigious Refrigeration Comfort Cooling Award for Project Excellence. Henneman received this international award for engineering design of the $11 million West Campus Central Chilled Water System at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The project received an “Excellence in Engineering” award from the Illinois Chapter of ASHRAE before moving on to the international competition.

This award recognizes design of systems using new or unusual technologies in comfort cooling applications with central plant capacity of 300 tons or more. (The award-winning UIC project was 10,000 tons.)

The West Campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago is a 4.6 million gross square foot medical complex consisting of 30 different buildings. Prior to this project, most of these buildings were served by standalone chillers located in the mechanical rooms of each building. The majority of the existing chillers and equipment were at the end of their useful life, and many of the buildings were no longer able to satisfy UIC’s cooling loads. To save energy and operational costs and provide sufficient and reliable cooling to the campus, the University decided to centralize chilled water production and distribution for the West Campus. This multiphase project included:

  • replacement of the existing 4,000-ton chiller plant with a new 10,000-ton central chilled water plant with provisions for an additional 6,000 tons of future capacity
  • over 11,000 feet of direct buried chilled water distribution piping including 30-inch mains extending throughout the west campus
  • conversion of 25 buildings from stand-alone chilled water systems to the new variable flow, high differential temperature differential central system

 

Because work on the chilled water systems could only be performed from mid-November to early March when the systems were not operational, construction on the project was completed in six phases.

ASHRAE is an international organization of 50,000 persons with chapters throughout the world. The Society is organized for the sole purpose of advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration for the public's benefit through research, standards writing, continuing education, and publications.

 

 
 
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