Resumes of Staff that will work on Better Buildings SLO

Robert Urban, Project Manager, CEM, CxA

Robert-Urban-01

Robert Urban, Operations Manager at Abraxas Energy Consulting, has been responsible for the management of Abraxas’ entire team of Energy Engineers, Auditors, and Analysts.  Robert leads the team to establish and meet expectations, define project timelines, ensure a high standard for delivery of all energy efficiency services, and resolve any problems that inevitably occur.  Each project scope and facility is unique and Robert approaches each project with an open mind toward client goals and the best path to get there.  Robert directs our engineering resources to the appropriate projects so that projects are done right, done on time, and lead to happy clients.  Robert directs logistics, execution and review of all work Abraxas does.  He maintains a high standard of our engineers and our work that has been key to Abraxas’ success.  One of his most challenging projects was to deliver over 100 detailed facility energy audits at Joint Base Lewis McChord with a team of 17 engineers within a 6 month time frame. 

Education
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, 2008

Professional Certifications
Association of Energy Engineers, Certified Energy Manager (CEM)
AABC Commissioning Group Certified Commissioning Agent (CxA)

Professional Affiliations
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
AABC Commissioning Group (ACG)

Employment History
Operations Manager, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 2010 to present
Senior Project Manager, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 2008 to 2010
Energy Analyst, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 2007 to 2008

Sample of Recent Projects

Project
Skills Demonstrated
Re-Commissioning for California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)

Colliers International operates several large facilities on behalf of CalPERS.  On this project, Robert led a team including three Senior Energy Engineers, two Project Engineers, and one Energy Auditor.  The project included re-commissioning of three large office buildings totaling over 1M square feet and two large data centers.  The larger data center was 10,500 square feet.  The work included comprehensive air and waterside testing including capacity testing of all coils and heat exchangers.  Robert and the team from Abraxas worked closely with Colliers facility staff to tailor recommendations that best met the needs of the facility and the end-user.  Robert managed the team’s approach to the scope, testing procedures, and project budget, which included over 1500 hours of engineering labor.  The team identified a variety of upgrades ranging from low-cost controls adjustments to capital upgrades.  The combined recommendations will save nearly $200,000 per year with a 2.3 year simple payback.

RCx, Project Management
Steam Heating Assessments for Joint Base Lewis-McChord (US Army & Air Force)

Robert managed a detailed steam heating system assessment for the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The assessment included identifying heating system efficiency projects and a complete decentralization analysis.  The work covered 65 buildings at McChord Airforce Base.  A team of 5 field engineers completed the physical assessments while supporting analysts ran energy models, gathered installed cost estimates, obtained vendor quotes, etc.  Field work included standard measurements such as operating temperatures but also went beyond this to collect data logging, flow metering, infrared thermography, equipment testing, and more.  The assessment identified nearly $1M in efficiency upgrades and quantified a $15M+ decentralization project.

Project Management, Decentralization Analysis
Ongoing Utility Bill Processing for US Geological Survey

Robert led a team of analysts in the creation, development, and maintenance of a utility bill tracking database for the United States Geological Survey (USGS).  The team provides ongoing monthly bill processing services for over 500 different utility accounts.  Abraxas partnered with Siemens for this contract, which is currently in its final year of a 5-year contract.  Siemens uses the tracking database to generate quarterly greenhouse gas emissions reports, reconcile invoices and payments in their accounting system, and analyze and manage their energy and water usage.

Project Management,

Bill Processing

Re-commissioning and Energy Audits of US Naval Hospitals and Campuses

Abraxas was awarded a multi-year contract to conduct energy audits and project feasibility studies of US Naval Hospitals and campus buildings around the world.  During the first 2 years of this contract, Robert has managed the audits of 24 hospitals, clinics, and administrative offices at 10 different sites including: Twentynine Palms, Lovell Federal Healthcare Center, and Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay.  The comprehensive assessments are organized into two phases including preliminary baseline assessment and final recommendations and feasibility studies.  The feasibility studies include assessing opportunities for renewable energy systems, cogeneration, and retro-commissioning.  The rigor with which each audit is reviewed by the Navy requires Robert to closely manage the team’s budget, attention to detail, and quality.  For this reason, Robert has adjusted the team’s approach to the work and refined their efforts to produce a higher quality product.

Project Management,

Re-commissioning, Energy Audits

Managed Detailed Energy Audits at Joint Base Lewis McChord

Robert was responsible for overall project management and supervision of a team of 14 engineers performing detailed energy assessments of 112 buildings at Joint Base Lewis McChord, located in Fort Lewis, Washington.  The team included two subcontractors as well as 5 engineers from Abraxas Energy.  The engineers had multiple backgrounds including electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, energy engineers, and technicians.  Robert organized and guided this diverse group to successfully complete the site visits in 6 weeks.  Measure evaluation and reporting were completed in the two months that followed.  The team identified nearly $3M worth of energy savings projects with an overall payback of less than 5 years.  Robert later led the team in writing detailed scopes of work on the majority of the ECMs found.  These SOWs were used as bid documents.

Project Management, Energy Audits
Managed Green Assessments on Multi-Family Properties

Robert was responsible for the coordination and management of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Green Assessments on more than 125 multi-family properties located throughout the United States in an 8 month period. As part of these projects, Robert coordinated efforts with third party consultants, on-site staff, lending agencies, and, in a few cases, subconsultants brought in for field work.  Robert managed a team of 14 engineers, 7 analysts, as well as auditors and consultants in order to execute this work located in different parts of the country.  The focus of these assessments was on the identification of energy efficiency measures, water efficiency measures, and operational efficiency measures that could be implemented to reduce building operating costs. Audits performed on these sites resulted in energy consumption savings often exceeding 20% of the baseline.  Delivering most reports in less than 10 business days from site visits, Robert ensured that all deadlines were met in advance and communicated efficiently with clients regarding all concerns.

Project Management, Energy Audits
Managed a Comprehensive Energy Service Project for the US Coast Guard Training Center in Petaluma, CA

Robert was the project manager for the comprehensive energy services performed at TRACEN Petaluma.  The services performed required AEC to perform much of the work and also coordinate 10 different sub-contractors.  Robert directly managed aspects of the project that included American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 1 and 2 energy audits, retro-commissioning, water audits, and incentive opportunity research and analysis.  Recommissioning was performed on fourteen buildings including classroom facilities, laboratories, residence halls, the galley, and the installation headquarters office building.

Robert also coordinated with additional team members installing sub meters, performing leak detection services, evaluating waste streams, and assessing compliance of buildings with ASHRAE Standards 55 and 62.1.

In total, this work included facilitating and guiding the work of a dozen engineers with a variety of skills in TAB, auditing, controls commissioning, energy analysis, and reporting.

Project Management, Re-commissioning, Energy Audits
Energy and Water Audit Project for US Bureau of Reclamation

Mr. Urban managed energy and water audits for the US Bureau of Reclamation located at twenty-eight sites across the western United States.  The audits included American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 1 and 2 assessments of ninety buildings by a team of five engineers.  Robert was responsible for coordinating the audits, setting performance standards and tracking metrics, developing deliverable formats and content, and all customer coordination.  The audits included a detailed inventory and evaluation of energy consumption by equipment, presented to the customer in an equipment database, and an inventory of refrigerant using equipment.  Overall, the project identified over 340 individual measures with an expected payback of 4 years.  The audit contract value was $701,000.

Project Management, Energy Audits
Energy Audits and Project Management for Audits at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

Abraxas conducted American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning  Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 2 energy audits and water audits at MCAS Miramar from October 2010 through January 2011.  Robert was one of two on site engineers who completed the audits of 8 major buildings in this short 3 month period.  The audits, which included a grocery store, three office buildings and 4 aircraft hangars, totaled over 700,000 square feet.  Robert served as a Jr. Engineer on this project responsible for onsite information gathering, analysis support, and reporting.  Because of the limited time to perform the work, Robert also coordinated the support of two additional engineers and two analysts to complete the audits on time.  The audits identified measures that would reduce the energy use of the buildings by 26% and with an estimated payback of 5.5 years.

Energy Auditing, Project Management
Regional Energy Audits for US Fish and Wildlife Service

The nature of the facilities owned and operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service are such that they require skilled energy auditors and a well-planned but flexible approach to energy auditing.  Robert has managed audits on dozens of FWS buildings at 20 different sites in the past two years.  Many of the sites are remote and require close coordination with facility staff for travel and timing of the audits.  While some of the sites include large, complex facilities most of them do not spend a lot of money on utilities each year.  This makes the cost to perform the audits an important factor in the payback of the recommendations.  For this reason, Robert has pushed the engineering team to reduce costs for travel by assessing multiple sites in a single rigorous and tightly constrained trip.  Under Robert’s direction, the team has also refined their templates and processes to perform the work effectively and still provide a quality end product.  What makes the execution of the work that much more challenging is the range of complexity of the systems at each site.  Robert worked to assign the engineer with the most complimentary skill sets and levels to each facility.

Project Management, Energy Audits
Self Generation Incentive Program Energy Audits

In order to comply with requirements for Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) funding, Mr. Urban oversaw the electricity audits of more than 80 different sites throughout California over the course of 25 months. Completion of these audits is required for the building occupant to receive substantial utility incentives for on-site energy generation or storage. The majority of these audits were American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 1 audits. Measures identified in these audits may be eligible for monetary incentives or rebates from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), LADWP, SDG&E, SMUD, and other local utility districts. These include business, HVAC, refrigeration, water heating, lighting, and other rebates.

Project Management, Energy Audits
Re Commissioning for Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals and Clinics in California

As the program manager, Robert oversaw the retro-commissioning of three Veterans Affairs campuses in California including VA Medical Center Loma Linda, Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center (ACC), and Los Angeles ACC.  Robert led a team of senior and junior engineers and technicians to ensure that building systems and assemblies were performing as optimally as possible to meet current needs and sustainability requirements.  The main objective of these retro-commissioning projects was to identify and prioritize operational and maintenance enhancements in major building systems that result in improvements in infection control, energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality. Robert’s team also evaluated the “Preventive Maintenance Program” (PMP) and assessed its effectiveness in maintaining operating systems as well as provided the necessary corrections to improve PMP and to orient staff on changes.

Abraxas not only offered recommendations on this contract, but self-performed and subcontracted, with Robert making subcontractor selections, over 69 repairs combined at all three sites, including .  At the close of the project, Robert briefed the VA regarding the over $1.3M per year they could save including $350k in savings that had already been achieved by the RCx effort.

Re-commissioning Project Management, Field Supervision
Re Commissioning for Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals and Clinics in Texas

As the program manager, Robert oversaw the retro-commissioning of two Veterans Affairs campuses in Texas: VA Medical Center Big Spring and Amarillo Health Care System (HCS).

Re-commissioning efforts at these facilities were extensive.  Numerous deliverables were submitted to document the VA’s requirements and project expectations.  Deliverables Robert contributed most significantly included:  RCx Plan, Scoping Meeting, Equipment Inventory, Occupant Interviews, Monitoring Report, Testing Report, and Minor and Major Recommendations Report.  Abraxas not only offered recommendations on this contract, but self-performed and subcontracted, with Robert making final subcontractor selections, over 34 repairs at VAMC Big Spring and 84 repairs at Amarillo HCS.  Robert led the outbrief for both client facilities and recapped successes including over $160k per year in savings at VAMC Big Spring and $280k in savings at Amarillo HCS and an overall payback of less than 1 year.

Project Management, Re-Commissioning
Energy Study and Commissioning for Weinberger US Courthouse

Robert developed and contributed to the RCx plan for a detailed assessment of Weinberger US Courthouse located in San Diego, CA.  The plan specified all functional tests, trending, and data logging to be performed and executed over several site visits and months.  Robert facilitated partnering meetings with the Government to identify facility requirements, gain the support and involvement of the facility controls contractor (who was not directly contracted by Abraxas), and engage the team toward the main goals of the project:  to improve occupant comfort and save energy.

The energy audit and commissioning included an assessment of all energy and water using systems in the facility.  The facility included a two-pipe heating/cooling system, Turbocor chiller compressors, pumping systems, AHUs, FCUs, a chiller, a boiler, and a cooling tower.  Measures found include advanced lighting control systems, lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors, variable frequency drives on pumps and fans, high efficiency water fixtures, on-site renewable energy, xeriscaping, and more.  The commissioning report included measures such as AHU and central plant optimal start/stop, chilled water reset, economizer operation optimization, and supply air reset strategy.  Commissioning of this facility was made challenging by San Diego’s often humid weather, a limited facility capabilities, high demands of Federal judges, and ever-changing schedules for trials and fluctuation in occupant loads.

Re-commissioning, Project Management

John Avina, Energy Engineer, P.E., CEM, CEA, CMVP, CxA

John-Avina

John Avina, President of Abraxas Energy Consulting, has worked in energy analysis and utility bill tracking since 1994. During his tenure at Thermal Energy Applications Research Center, Johnson Controls, SRC Systems, Silicon Energy and Abraxas Energy Consulting, he has managed the M&V for a large performance contractor, managed software development for energy analysis applications, created energy analysis software that is used by several hundred energy professionals, taught over 250 energy management classes, created hundreds of building models and utility bill tracking databases, modeled hundreds of utility rates, and has personally performed energy audits and retro-commissioning on over 25 million square feet of building stock. John chairs the Association of Energy Engineer’s Certified Energy Audit Test Committee. John has a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Education
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Solar Energy Laboratory, 1994
Bachelor of Arts in History, Pomona College-Claremont Colleges, 1988

Professional Certifications
California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, Professional Engineer (P.E.)
Certified Energy Manager (CEM)
Certified Energy Auditor (CEA)
Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP)
Certified Commissioning Agent (CxA)

Professional Affiliations
American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
AABC Commissioning Group (ACG)

Publications
Author/co-author of over 15 publications, a sample is included below.

  • “Successful Implementation of Energy Efficiency Projects: ‘Quick and Dirty’ Can Be a Losing Approach”, Energy Services Marketing Institute Newsletter, Winter 2015.
  • “The Unintended Consequences of City Energy Audit Ordinances”, Energy Engineering, Vol 114, No. 2, 2016
  • “New Directions in Measurement and Verification for Performance Contacts”, co-written with John Shonder from Oakridge National Labs. Energy Engineering, Vol 113, No. 5, 2015.
  • “Eight Ways in Which a Poor Quality Audit Can Prove Costly to the Building Owner, Energy Engineering, Vol 110, No. 4, 2013.

Employment History
Founder, President, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 2001 to present
Product Manager, Silicon Energy (Itron) - 2000 to 2001
Manager Technical Services, SRC Systems, Inc. - 1997 to 2000
Energy Analyst, Johnson Controls, Inc. - 1995 to 1997
Researcher, Thermal Storage Applications Research Center - 1994
Research Assistant, University of Wisconsin Solar Energy Laboratory - 1993 to 1994

Sample of Recent Projects

Project
Skills Demonstrated
Re-Commissioning for California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)

John provided the retro-commissioning for the 10,500 SQFT data center in the Lincoln Plaza West Building and the 47,257 SQFT Emergency Operations Center which houses another data center.  Duties involved routine RCx activities, such as trend data analysis, functional testing, point to point inspections, savings calculations, costing projects and report writing.  RCx and capital measures included:  changes to hot aisle/cool aisle configurations, introducing outside air rather than mechanical cooling, installing underfloor dams to direct cool air flow, shutting down CRAC units, adjusting setpoints in auxiliary spaces, demand control ventilation in the battery room, occupancy sensors on aisle lighting, and others.  Together the RCx and Capital measures for the Lincoln Plaza and EOC data centers would cut data center costs by 18%, or $75,000 annually, reducing the PUE from 1.62 to 1.44 for the Lincoln Plaza data center, and from 2.15 to 1.53 for the EOC data center.

RCx
Energy Audit of Eight-Building Manufacturing Center, San Salvador

John performed an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit on the eight-building, 420,000 square foot campus of AVX, in San Salvador. The study aimed to identify savings opportunities for the manufacturing center. Over $1,986,000 in savings opportunities were identified, with a 2.8-year average simple payback. Measures included HVAC controls, lighting controls and upgrades, VFDs on chilled water pumps, adding/improving insulation, and adding a propane fueled boiler, among others.

Energy Auditing
Energy Audit of Seven University Buildings, Lone Star College

Performed ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit on seven buildings in Lone Star College's University Park campus in Houston, TX, for Jones Lang LaSalle. The goal of the study was to evaluate energy using systems in the buildings, and provide an actionable analysis of efficiency opportunities. Despite challenging conditions, $400,000 were identified in annual savings opportunities. Measures found included lighting controls and upgrades, HVAC controls, converting to VAV systems, and adding synchronous belts to AHUs. Retro-commissioning was also recommended.

Energy Auditing
Energy Audit of Grand Hyatt DFW in Dallas

John conducted an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit of the 366,000 square foot, 298-room Grand Hyatt DFW to identify savings opportunities. The study included site visits, measurements, determination of ECMs, and estimating project costs. Over $99,000 of annual savings opportunities were identified, with an average simple payback of 1.5 years. Energy, water, and operational efficiency measures were identified and evaluated, and included lighting controls and upgrades, HVAC controls, installing a pool cover, and others.

Energy Auditing
Retro-commissioning of 24 Large Department Stores

Performed RCx on 24 department stores in the Bay Area as a subcontractor for QuEST's third party utility program. The work involved site visits, instantaneous measurements, determination of ECMs, bin simulation type calculations, estimating project costs, undergoing third party review, and integration of logged and trended data into bin simulations to determine actual savings.  Measures found focused on RCx type measures, including lighting control, repair of VFDs, variable speed fans, repair of static pressure sensors, economizers, scheduling, and others.

 

RCx,
 Energy Auditing
M&V Plan for 5 Federal Buildings in Los Angeles

John wrote a detailed M&V Plan for 5 Federal Buildings in the Los Angeles area for a major ESCO.  At the ESCO’s request, the plan was in strict accordance with FEMP M&V Guidelines.  There were over 80 ECMs, many of which were interactive, which made the plan very difficult.  Three chiller plants were retrofitted, along with over 200 AHUs.  The Federal client asked for Option B, as much as was possible, but in some instances Option A, Option C and Option D were also used.  ECMs included chiller plan retrofits, water-side economizers, VFDs on AHUs, RCx measures, fan walls, abandoning a cogeneration system, window tinting, lighting, lighting controls, and many others.  Extensive baseline measurements (15 minute interval data) were taken of the chiller plants, AHUs, exhaust fans, lighting, and other equipment.  This data was transformed into baselines that were later used to track energy savings.  Only calibrated instruments were used for measurements, and Federal witnessing was required of all measurements.  Sampling methodologies were used in accordance with the FEMP M&V Guidelines.  BAS measurements were not relied upon, as their sensors were often out of calibration, so tests were run, in many cases comparing BAS values with measurements from calibrated instruments.  These tests were converted into equations that converted faulty BAS measurements into reliable measurements, and were then used in the baseline.

M&V,

Baseline Measurements

Energy Audits of FBI HQ and 2 Data Centers

Senior energy manager responsible for performing on site energy audit of the 2.4 M square foot J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington D.C. and data centers in West Virginia (860k square feet) and Idaho (80k square feet).  Conducted ASHRAE Level 1+ energy audits, utility bill analysis, field investigation and identification of potential energy savings measures, savings, cost and payback calculations, and evaluating retro-commissioning opportunities. For the J. Edgar Hoover Building, he was able to identify about $4,500,000 in annual energy savings with less than a 3 year payback.  The majority of the savings was due to replacing district steam with a boiler plant, scheduling AHUs, and lighting retrofits.

Energy Auditing
Scoping Energy Audits of Veterans Administration Hospitals in Texas

John performed energy audits on 6 VA hospital campuses totaling over 8,000,000 square feet.  Millions of dollars in annual savings opportunities were identified – mostly through RCx measures.  At one hospital in Texas, he investigated over 85 air handlers for scheduling possibilities, economizer problems, leaking valves, cold deck reset potential, and the possibility of adding variable speed drives.  Almost all measures found were HVAC related.  The energy conservation measures averaged a 2 year payback, which is very good as electricity in Texas was about $0.06/kWh.

RCx,

Energy Auditing

Energy Audits of Navy Hospitals in Guantanamo Bay and Key West

John served as lead engineer on ASHRAE Level 2 energy audits of Navy hospitals in Guantanamo Bay and Key West.  The audits included site inspection, spot measurements, ECM list generation, energy calculations using bin data simulations, costing of ECMs, and report writing.  In Guantanamo Bay, measures were found that saved 14% of energy usage for a payback of about 4 years.  In Key West measures were found that saved 13% of energy costs for a payback of under 2 years.  Measures included lighting upgrades, occupancy sensors, Turbocor chillers, water conservation, and variable flow chilled water.

Energy Auditing
Energy Audits of California Schools

John performed energy audits of six elementary and middle schools in the LA Unified School District for Siemens Building Technologies. The audits involved site inspections, spot measurements, development of an ECM list, energy calculations, costing of ECMs, and report writing. At the customer's request, calculations were done with a building modeling program.

Energy Auditing
Nationwide Energy Audits for Major Telecommunications Companies

John performed scoping level energy audits of 16 central offices and office buildings of two major telecommunications companies.  The audits covered over 3,500,000 square feet of gross floor area in Alabama, South Carolina, Illinois, Nevada, and Connecticut.  The audits included site inspection, ECM list generation, energy calculations using bin data simulations, costing of ECMs, and report writing.  Measures found included lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors, economizers, HVAC scheduling, variable flow systems, and various RCx measures.

Energy Auditing
Energy Audits of National Wildlife Refuges in Montana and Alaska

John performed ASHRAE Level 2 energy audits of the Bozeman Fish Technology Center, the Charles M Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. These audits involved site visits, spot metering, ECM list generation, energy balances of each building, energy calculations, measure costing, and report writing.  Measures found included: lighting, lighting control, variable speed pumping, envelope improvements, fume hood control, reprogramming HVAC controls, programmable thermostats, radiant heating, and others.

Energy Auditing
Retro-commissioning at Luke Air Force Base

John led the RCx effort on three buildings, 95,515 sqft, at Luke Air Force Base.  The work involved a scoping assessment, followed by an RCx Plan, and then trend analysis, point to point testing and functional testing.  After the RCx Investigation Report was turned in, our contacts at the Base selected measures for Abraxas to implement.  He worked with mechanical and controls subcontractors to replace failed damper/valve actuators, replace failed CO2 sensors, replace failed temperature sensors, change economizer sequences of operations, and to fix equipment incorrectly mapped in the BAS.  Trend data and functional testing were again used to verify that the repairs were correctly implemented.  Luke AFB has saved an estimated $35,239 per year with a 0.4 year payback by implementing the repairs done as part of the retro-commissioning study

RCx

Clayde Barkley, Energy Engineer, P.E., CEM

Clayde-Barkley

Clayde Barkley, Project Engineer, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has assisted our Senior Engineers on over 20 facility energy audits and retro-commissioning projects, and has conducted over 200 energy audits himself. Clayde has performed onsite work at the US Coast Guard Training Center, Petaluma, 15 Naval Hospitals, multiple military bases, and several commercial facilities. Clayde regularly performs benchmarking, rate analysis, energy savings calculations, life cycle cost analysis, and determines utility incentives for energy audits. Clayde has experience conducting single-phase and three-phase spot power measurements and logging on systems operating up to 480V. He also has experience conducting other spot measurements, including temperatures, CO2 levels, air flow, water flow, and lighting levels. He has worked extensively with setting up, placing, and analyzing data from data loggers, including temperature/relative humidity, amperage, CO2, and lighting/occupancy. He has performed ASHRAE 62.1 testing.

Education
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, 2010

Professional Certifications
California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, Professional Engineer (P.E.)
Association of Energy Engineers, Certified Energy Manager (CEM)

Professional Affiliations
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)

Employment History
Project Engineer, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 8/2017 to present
Energy Engineer, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 2012 to 8/2017
Junior Energy Engineer, Abraxas Energy Consulting - 2010 to 2012

Sample of Recent Projects

Project Skills Demonstrated
Energy Audits, City of Lompoc Ca

Clayde was responsible for performing an ASHRAE Level 2 assessments for twelve municipal buildings and six parks in Lompoc, Ca.  The building square footage total 235,980 square feet.  Projects identified lighting upgrades, solar PV installation, smart thermostat installation, and transformer upgrades.  The energy projects are estimated to save over 500,000 kWh.

Project Management

Energy Audits

Measurement and Verification Lighting Upgrade, City of Santa Maria, CA

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of verifying savings for a lighting upgrade for the City of Santa Maria.  The lighting upgrade included 57 municipal buildings.  Lighting/occupancy data loggers were deployed in 53 areas across 33 buildings, and power measurements were taken for a total of 332 fixtures according to a sampling plan to achieve 80% confidence/20% precision.  Clayde updated calculations and reporting based on the collected data and verified the proposed savings of 513 kW and 1,810,312 kWh for a proposed savings amount of $362,062.

Measurement and Verification;

Data logging, Power Measurements

Re-Commissioning for California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)

Clayde served on the retro-commissioning team for the 603,530 SQFT Lincoln Plaza North Building for CalPERS in Sacramento.  Duties involved routine RCx activities, such as trend data analysis, functional testing, point to point inspections, savings calculations, costing projects and report writing, but also capacity testing of the pumps, chillers and AHU cooling coils.  Performed a thermal envelope study.  Discovered design flaw in the underfloor distribution system in which supply air was mixing with zone air before entering terminal boxes.  Found that the condenser flow was 25% higher than design, which was reducing chiller efficiency.  Found that the much of the code for the terminal boxes in the building needs to be rewritten.  RCx and capital measures included:  Changes to static pressure reset, supply air reset, economizer, and chilled water reset strategies, and lighting.  Total savings for these measures was $53,000 with a 0.8 year simple payback.

RCx, Power Measurements
Post Installation Report, Presidio of Monterey

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of a post-installation report for an Utility Energy Service Contract (UESC).  The implemented projects spanned multiple buildings and included boiler replacements, chiller replacement, whole building control upgrades, mechanical system upgrades, and lighting upgrades.  Clayde collected post-installation data through downloading trend data and independent data loggers.  He was responsible for power logging of boilers, pumps, chiller, air handling units and deployed flow meters on hot water lines as well.  Clayde updated calculations and reporting based on the collected data and verified the proposed savings amount of $173,998.

Measurement and Verification;

Power Measurements and Metering

Measurement and Verification Annual Reporting, VAMC Palo Alto

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of a measurement and verification annual report for the VAMC Palo Alto as part of an energy savings performance contract (ESPC).  The implemented projects spanned multiple buildings and included chiller replacement/chiller controls upgrades, lighting upgrades, steam trap replacement, steam valve controls, and steam valve/piping insulation.  Clayde collected chiller trend data, and thermographic images of the steam traps, steam control valves, and steam insulation.  Clayde updated calculations and reporting based on the collected data and verified the guaranteed savings amount of $914,372.

Measurement and Verification
Field Data Collection for Pomona USD

Clayde was part of a team of engineers responsible for detailed data collection at seventeen school campuses in Pomona, CA.  The project included installing hundreds of portable data loggers for short-term monitoring of lighting hours, chiller and motor current, and temperatures.  In addition to installing monitoring equipment, the project also included hundreds of spot measurements of light intensity, space temperatures, and diffuser air flows.

Data logging, Power Measurements
Industrial Energy Audit of 2323 Firestone Blvd

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of an energy audit of an approximately 90,000 square foot glass manufacturing facility located in South Gate, CA.  Equipment evaluated included lighting systems, HVAC systems, tacking ovens (210 kW), compressed air systems (132 kW), pressing machines (163 kW), tempering furnace (1960 kW), two constant volume blower fans for the tempering furnace (132 kW and 315 kW), one constant volume water-cooled condenser, and refrigerated laminate layup rooms.  Measures recommended included variable frequency drive installation for the blower fans and the condenser, LED installation, and electrically commutated motors for the refrigeration evaporators.

Industrial Energy Audit
Industrial Energy Audit of Los Gatos Tomatoes

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of an energy audit of an approximately 35,000 square foot tomato processing facility located in Huron, CA.  Some of the equipment evaluated included lighting systems, HVAC systems, process pumps that ranged in size from 1 hp to 200 hp and were a mixture of constant volume and variable flow, three cooling towers with 75 hp fans controlled via variable frequency drive, five 2,000 MBh steam boilers that provide steam for process equipment, and an existing 1 megawatt solar photovoltaic system. Measures recommended included variable frequency drive installation for the constant volume process pumps, LED installation, and cleaning the panels of the solar photovoltaic system.

Industrial Energy Audit
MEP Survey of 1349 La Brea Avenue

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of a MEP survey of an approximately 226,000 square foot cold storage facility located in Santa Maria, CA.  The refrigeration system evaluated is a four temperature, single stage anhydrous ammonia based refrigerant system containing 27,500 lbs of ammonia with an estimated total system capacity of 2,584 tons of refrigeration.  The refrigeration system features eight screw compressors, one evaporative condenser, and 16 evaporators.  The system was overall well maintained, and the only viable opportunity was to rebuild the refrigerant compressors per their maintenance schedule.

Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) Survey
Decentralization Study and Energy Audits of Joint Base Lewis McChord

Clayde was part of a team responsible for energy audits as well as determining the feasibility of decentralization of a central steam plant for Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington.  The study involved 65 buildings.  The site visit involved deployment and collection of data loggers, functional testing, identification of measures, and performing engineering analysis.

For the decentralization study, Abraxas was responsible for analyzing the steam usage at the building level of the base and another company (Sain Engineering) was responsible for analyzing the steam usage at the central steam plant level.  Abraxas and Sain collaborated to determine the most life cycle cost effective method for removing buildings from the steam plant and installing alternative methods of heating for the buildings (equipment using electricity or natural gas).  Work included estimating the steam usage per building, detailed scopes of what equipment to install per building, and performing engineering analysis.

Energy Audit

Decentralization

Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae High Performance Buildings

In 2016 and 2017, Clayde was responsible for project management of properties throughout the United States.  Mr. Barkley kept track of project deadlines, scheduled energy auditors, and submitted reports.  He was in charge of using TREAT software to model the energy consumption, perform energy savings and cost calculations, and completing reports (as well as 4099h for Fannie and 1106 for Freddie) for over 100 multifamily housing properties.  Abraxas has been vetted as a trusted provider of energy audits for the High Performance Buildings program due to their consistently strong performance under independent technical review.

Project Management

Energy Audits

Energy Modeling

Energy Assessments of Commercial Buildings

Clayde was the project manager for over 130 ASHRAE Level 1 audits on a diverse group of facilities throughout California, totaling over 13,000,000 square feet.  The focus of the report was for the Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) for energy storage systems.  The projects focused on electricity and other utilities (i.e. natural gas) were not addressed.  Buildings included hotels, grocery stores, office buildings, and large industrial facilities.  Responsibilities included interfacing with a point of contact for each property, scheduling the site visit, performing technical review of the deliverables, and submitting all properties before the submittal deadlines.

Clayde was also the auditor onsite for multiple properties.  In the auditor role, he performed the site visits, developed the measure lists, performed cost and savings analysis, and wrote the final reports.

Project Management

Energy Audits

Energy Audits of Luke Air Force Base (LAFB)

Clayde was part of a team responsible for performing a preliminary assessment (PA) energy assessment at LAFB in Glendale, Arizona for 22 buildings totaling 794,200 square feet.  The results of the PA were then used to extrapolate data for the entire base (131 buildings; 2,352,144 square feet) and the PA was used as the basis for an investment grade audit (IGA) and energy savings performance contract (ESPC).

Energy Auditing

Data Extrapolation

Retro-commissioning of Frank Hagel Building

Clayde was part of a three-person RCx team, responsible for all aspects of performing a retro-commissioning project of a 450,000 square foot office building in Richmond, California.  Equipment involved included 12 air handling units, 4 chillers, a cogeneration system, a boiler system, 6 heat exchangers, and over 20 distribution pumps.  He was responsible for functional testing, point to point verification, trend data analysis, identification of measures, and performing engineering analysis. Issues found include: sensors out of calibration, equipment in hand, dampers/actuators not responding to commands from the BAS, and manual operation of the chiller plant.  Measures included changing the chiller staging sequence, bypassing enthalpy wheels, and switching from enthalpy control to dry bulb control of the AHUs, among others.

RCx
Energy Audit and Retro-commissioning Assessment of Naval Health Clinic

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of performing an ASHRAE Level II assessment and RCx scoping audit of a 195,000 square foot naval health clinic in Charleston, South Carolina.  Equipment involved in the RCx scoping audit included 13 air handling units, 2 chillers, 2 boilers, and multiple distribution pumps.  He was responsible for functional testing, point to point verification, trend data analysis, identification of measures, and performing engineering analysis. Issues found include: sensors out of calibration, incorrectly mapped controls in the BAS, equipment running all hours, and constant setpoints (supply air temperature, static pressure, chilled water temperature, etc.).  Measures included scheduling of equipment, implementing temperature resets based on outdoor air temperature, and implementing a static pressure reset, among others.

RCx , Energy Auditing
Retro-commissioning of VA Medical Campuses

Clayde was part of an RCx team responsible for performing a retro-commissioning assessment of multiple VA medical campuses in Arizona, including: Phoenix, Tucson, and Prescott. Equipment involved includes over 60 air handling units, multiple chilled water plants, a thermal energy storage system at Tucson, over 50 air handling units and central plant in Phoenix, and 20 air handling units in Prescott.  Clayde was the field engineer at each piece of equipment during point to point verification and functional testing, and observed the response of each piece of HVAC equipment when it was commanded from the EMS, and he worked with team members at the control center to troubleshoot issues.  He was responsible for deployment and collection of data loggers, functional testing, point to point verification, identification of measures, and performing engineering analysis.

RCx
Retro-commissioning Assessment of Foothill Transit Center

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of performing a retro-commissioning assessment of a 40,000 square foot office building in West Covina, California.  He performed this work alongside the Senior Engineer assigned to the project and assisted with field measurements, deployment and collection of data loggers, functional testing, identification of measures, and performing engineering analysis.  The retro-commissioning assessment was completed through the program for Southern California Edison.

RCx
Orange City Square ASHRAE Level 1, Retro-commissioning, and LEED Support

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of performing an ASHRAE Level 1 audit of three office buildings known as Orange City Square in Orange, CA, with a combined floor area of approximately 375,000 square feet.  His work for the audits was performed in conjunction with a retro-commissioning assessment, on which he supported the Senior Engineer.  Clayde completed all the documentation, recommendations, and analysis of the low-cost/no-cost measures identified as part of the Level 1 audit.  His work was then reviewed by the Senior Engineer.  He also completed additional measurements, functional testing, and field data collection for the retro-commissioning assessment.   Because this facility was pursuing a LEED certification, Clayde was responsible for gathering ventilation, zoning, space use, and occupant density data used to assess the buildings’ compliance with ASHRAE 62.1.  He also assessed the operating practices of the building, performed research, and documented an ongoing commissioning plan for the buildings.  The ongoing commissioning plan will be a valuable tool for on-site staff to use going forward to repeat some of the activities done during the retro-commissioning assessment with the primary objective of persistence of savings.

Energy Auditing

RCx

475 14th Street Oakland ASHRAE Level 1, Retro-commissioning, and LEED Support

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of performing an ASHRAE Level 1 audit of an office building in Oakland, CA with a floor area of approximately 192,000 square feet.  His work for the audits was performed in conjunction with a retro-commissioning assessment on which he supported the Senior Engineer.  Clayde completed all the documentation, recommendations, and analysis of the low-cost/no-cost measures identified as part of the Level 1 audit.  His work was then reviewed by the Senior Engineer.  He also completed additional measurements, functional testing, and field data collection for the retro-commissioning assessment.   Because this facility was pursuing a LEED certification, Clayde was responsible for gathering ventilation, zoning, space use, and occupant density data used to assess the buildings’ compliance with ASHRAE 62.1.  He also assessed the operating practices of the building, performed research, and documented an ongoing commissioning plan for the buildings.  The ongoing commissioning plan will be a valuable tool for onsite staff to use going forward to repeat some of the activities done during the retro-commissioning assessment with the primary objective of persistence of savings.

Energy Auditing

RCx

ASHRAE 62.1 data collection

Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital in Twentynine Palms

Clayde performed a field assessment and provided detailed documentation and analysis for the ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit performed at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms.  He worked as the Jr. Engineer assigned to this project.  He was responsible for nearly all of the draft report documentation and analysis of many of the measures that were identified.  On site, Clayde assisted with measurements, interviews with occupants and facility staff, documentation of all the systems, and understanding the system operation.  The opportunities identified at NH Twentynine Palms will save over 20% of the energy used by the building and have a payback of 5.5 years.

Energy Auditing
ASHRAE Level 1 Energy Audits at VA Medical Campuses

Clayde performed on site assessments of over 3,000,000 square feet of buildings at VA medical campuses, including: Bronx NY, St Albans NY, San Francisco CA and Palo Alto CA.  He was responsible for evaluation of equipment, deployment of select data loggers, identification of measures, and performing the energy calculations and write-ups.

Energy Auditing
ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audits at TRACEN Petaluma

Clayde performed on site assessments of 3 major buildings at the US Coast Guard Training Center in Petaluma.  He performed this work alongside the Senior Engineer assigned to the project and assisted with field measurements, identification of measures, and performing engineering analysis. 

Energy Auditing
Orange City Square ASHRAE Level 1, Retro-commissioning, and LEED Support

Clayde was responsible for all aspects of performing an ASHRAE Level 1 audit of three office buildings known as Orange City Square in Orange, CA with a combined floor area of approximately 375,000 square feet.  His work for the audits was performed in conjunction with a retro-commissioning assessment on which he supported the Senior Engineer.  The retro-commissioning assessment was completed through the program for Southern California Edison.  Clayde completed all the documentation, recommendations, and analysis of the low-cost/no-cost measures identified as part of the Level 1 audit.  His work was then reviewed by the Senior Engineer.  He also completed additional measurements, functional testing, and field data collection for the retro-commissioning assessment.  Because this facility was pursuing a LEED certification, Clayde was responsible for gathering ventilation, zoning, space use, and occupant density data used to assess the buildings’ compliance with ASHRAE 62.1.  He also assessed the operating practices of the building, performed research, and documented an ongoing commissioning plan for the buildings.  The ongoing commissioning plan will be a valuable tool for on-site staff to use going forward to repeat some of the activities done during the retro-commissioning assessment with the primary objective of persistence of savings.

Energy Auditing

RCx

ASHRAE 62.1 data collection