The new Commissary, with sales area, checkout registers, loading dock, meat and produce preparation, and cold and freezer storage is part of the expansion of the Air Base in Spangdahlem. The building is owned by the U.S. Army and the expansion was administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
High energy performance was a priority for this project. A specialty CO2 refrigerant system is used for food storage and cooling, and the waste heat energy is recovered and supplied to the building heating system. Additionally, the air handling units also employ heat recovery to preheat / -cool incoming outside air. Furthermore, the building enclosure was completed to high-quality standards to reduce infiltration and verified through blower door testing.
The Baumann team helped to ensure that the final installation and operation of the systems, as well as system documentation, was complete and fulfilled the design and owner requirements (OPR).
Additionally, Baumann tracked actual system operation and energy usage for the first year of operation, through Operation Diagnostics–the graphical analysis of system trend and meter data. Through this, it was verified that the systems were being operated optimally.
Baumann followed up on topics such as running times of pumps and fans, the functionality of heat recovery systems, air temperature setpoints, and room comfort conditions–all items that have a large influence on energy performance and occupant comfort.