Baltimore Convention Center Assessment

The Baltimore Convention Center (BCC) in Downtown Baltimore contains 1,225,000 SF of office space, exhibit hall space, and mechanical space, and is a premier location for large meetings, events, and conferences in the City.

JMT provided a comprehensive assessment of the Center, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, architectural, site, and structural systems. All of the facility’s systems were evaluated for energy efficiency opportunities as well as both short-term and long-term maintenance needs. Part of the evaluation included a LEED® for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) feasibility study.

Suggestions made during the study included repairs to the malfunctioning energy recovery wheels, which were designed to save the BCC energy, but due to lack of maintenance, had been unable to provide any savings in recent years. Lighting replacements as well as lighting controls for the older portions of the Convention Center were also suggested to save on energy costs. In addition to lighting controls, JMT recommended adding controls to the power connections in the older portion of the Center, which would allow the power to exhibit booths to be turned off from a central location at night, forcing exhibitors to conserve energy. Another energy savings recommendation was the replacement of the bay doors used to bring in exhibits for conventions. Due to their age and condition, the doors were difficult to close and as a result left open unnecessarily, leaving conditioned space exposed to the elements. Replacement of the doors or the installation of a curtained off area were recommended as solutions.

The Trane Trace® computer energy simulation software was used to simulate building operational energy consumption estimates versus actual building configurations. Field measurements were taken of systems output to verify operations. The interval data obtained from the field testing was cross checked against the computer modeling results for verifications. This was utilized to identify building envelope improvements and energy efficiency alternatives.

As a result of the study, the Convention Center hired an ESCO contractor to complete energy savings suggestions made by JMT as well as a portion of the maintenance needs for the facility. JMT assisted the BCC in interviewing and selecting an ESCO contractor as well as with the management of the contractor.