Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Treatment

ENGIE Services U.S. (ENGIE) completed a comprehensive energy efficiency upgrade at the landmark City Crescent building, a Class-A, eleven-story, 334,000 square foot office building in the heart of downtown Baltimore.

Our expert team of energy efficiency engineers and LEED-accredited professionals completed a detailed study and analysis of not only the lighting and controls systems at City Crescent, but also the intricate HVAC and mechanical systems. The solution designed and implemented by ENGIE entailed multiple measures, significantly decreasing the energy consumption and increasing tenant comfort at the all-electric building, and resulting in ENERGY STAR® certification approximately one year after project implementation.

The Partnership

Working together with building ownership and management, ENGIE successfully designed and implemented energy efficiency measures that resulted in an annual energy reduction of 3.7 million kWh.

A preferred engineering services provider for Baltimore Gas & Electric, ENGIE was able to qualify the project for a significant financial incentive from the utility. In addition, the project was awarded a grant through the Maryland Energy Administration Commercial & Industrial Grant Program.

For the lighting aspect of the project, ENGIE replaced existing lighting technology throughout office space, stairways and parking garage space with high-efficiency lamps, low-power factor ballasts and occupancy controls. This retrofit will reduce lighting consumption up to 50% in some areas.

ENGIE carefully coordinated the chiller plant installation, placing the massive new units on the top floor of the building to avoid interference with tenants and maintain the building’s attractive look and feel. The existing Building Automation System (BAS) at City Crescent was pneumatic, requiring expensive compressed air to function. ENGIE converted the existing controls system to an open-protocol, Direct Digital Control (DDC) based BAS, eliminating simultaneous heating and cooling and achieving significant savings.

3 Dimensions of Impact

ENGIE is committed to building three dimensions of impact in every customer’s future:

• Supporting People
  • Since its development, City Crescent has served as a catalyst for the revitalization of the west side of Baltimore City, helping to foster an environment of economic competitiveness, access to public transportation, and an increase in quality of life for those working and living in the area.
• Saving Money
  • The project resulted in a total annual electric and maintenance savings exceeding $500,000.
  • Incentive and economic development grants increased the projects economic viability.
• Protecting the Environment
  • T project resulted in an annual energy savings of 3.7 million kWh.
  • The impressive carbon footprint reduction is the equivalent of removing 500 passenger cars from the road for one year.