Building Performance Analysis of the Hope College Concert Hall

Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy use in the United States, with much of this energy wasted by inefficient and/or poorly controlled spaces. In this study, we work to understand how energy is being used by buildings on Hope College’s campus, looking in detail at one specific building. This will allow the college Physical Plant and Sustainability team to be more informed on campus energy use, better understand how campus buildings are using energy, and make sustainable energy decisions in the future. We created a system model of the HVAC system of an operating LEED Gold building on Hope College's campus, the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. The developed thermodynamic system model of this HVAC system was used to simulate and understand historical operating conditions to determine energy flow. This model was then used to simulate potential operating conditions to compare energy consumption and investigate opportunities for energy/cost savings that do not harm building functionality and comfort. This analysis will be used to find, with the Hope College Physical Plant and the Sustainability team, ideal system operating conditions. Decisions such as these support a sustainable mindset for future HVAC systems and campus-wide use of energy. This analysis provides one step toward the broader analysis of the campus boiler plant and energy use by college buildings.