The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) awarded Hernandez Consulting & Construction a lead role in providing energy modeling, energy auditing, and general energy efficiency consulting services to the New Orleans public School System, including an overall energy efficiency conservation strategy. Our auditors used utility data and building plans to conduct initial assessments of schools. During site visits, our team evaluated the condition of HVAC, kitchen, lighting and other control equipment for energy use using specialized tools and meters. The information collected was organized and analyzed in computer energy models and presented in a report along with a list of the most effective Energy Conservation Measures, Water Conservation Measures and Facility Improvement Measure, to include payback analysis, equipment review/selection and final recommendations.
This contract award included up to 30 public schools in the New Orleans area. The final deliverable was a comprehensive energy audit report that was being used by the A/E Design team for decision retro-fits, improvements and new construction changes in order to achieve LEED Silver certification for the schools. Advice on carbon credits also provided to the client.
