Economic Feasibility Studies
Evaluation of the economic efficiency of technical building equipment
With every building the question of economic efficiency plays an increasingly important role. This runs through all phases of the building’s life cycle, from planning and construction to ongoing operation.
Feasibility studies are becoming increasingly important not only in view of the constantly rising costs of energy, water and waste disposal, but also from the point of view of environmental protection and the careful use of natural resources.
What are economic feasibility studies about?
The work of TGA engineers and planners has long ceased to be limited to technical aspects, for example the planning and selection of suitable plants and systems for heating, cooling, ventilation, communication and safety, but also to achieving the intended effect with the least possible effort.
Feasibility studies play a major role not only in new buildings and extensions, but also in existing buildings. Especially in the latter, experienced TGA engineers can often uncover great savings potential.
In the majority of cases, the VDI 2067 guideline for calculating and assessing the economic efficiency of building services installations (GTA or technical building equipment (TGA) is used for economic efficiency considerations. The VDI 2067 guideline uses a number of fixed criteria.
This is the only way to enable a meaningful comparison and evaluation of different technical systems and installations.
Which aspects are examined?
There is a very wide range. For example, the energy requirements of heated and/or air-conditioned buildings are examined. For this purpose, all incoming and outgoing energy flows are recorded which are used for heating, cooling, humidifying and dehumidifying, for ventilation and deaeration as well as for heating the drinking water (hot water supply).
Also taken into account is the amount of energy required for distribution (the transfer from the feed-in to the users). These include the building control technology, the usable area of the radiators, pipe and line resistances, heat losses during transport and storage and a number of other factors.
How are economic feasibility studies put into practice?
When planning a new building or the renovation or extension of an existing building, the selection of the planned plants and systems is already made with efficiency in mind.
For existing buildings and systems, our TGA engineers can carry out an energy inspection on request. Among other things, the dimensioning of the systems is checked in relation to the energy requirements of the building. The inspection includes all components that influence the efficiency of the plant.
An energetic inspection covers the following areas:
- Inspection of the building or the systems
- Recording the measuring data
- Calculation of the energy parameters
- Evaluation of the entire system
- Detailed documentation of the results
- Recommendations for the optimization of the systems
What benefits does the client derive from economic feasibility studies?
The energy inspection shows the current condition of the building and reveals weak points where energy is lost or where equipment and systems are not optimally adjusted or dimensioned.
On the basis of these results, the client receives concrete recommendations for optimizing the systems. The savings potential of refurbishment measures is shown and the client can base his investment decisions on solid facts and calculations. This increases planning reliability and saves time and costs.