b'ENVIRONMENTALSFO 75engineers across sprawling facilities totheir trade partners delivered a preliminaryThe airport has increased its efficiency log into six different systems to find aEnergy Management Control Systemin recent years by replacing outdated problemnot only having to rememberthat was retrofitted into the Internationalequipment. For example, it underwent what computer houses the controlsTerminal, Terminal 2, the newest part ofan investment-grade audit and identified for a given building, but also what theTerminal 1, the air traffic control towerseveral big projects, such as installing passwords are and how to access theand half of Terminal 3.new chillers in the Central Plant for proper software?A second phase of the project iscooling terminals and other facilities. The answer for SFO was installing anunderway to update additional buildings,But it was difficult to measure the Energy Management Control Systemincluding the rest of SFOs terminalimpact, notes Nagengast. Data was in conjunction with Iconics Digitalcomplex. The airport also intends tohard to come by, and what was available Solutions Inc. to manage resource usecontinue adding other components,didnt provide an apples-to-apples across the campus. The new systemsuch as the electrical, gas and watercomparison.is able to collect data from water, gas,meters, that were not removed due to theIts hard to thermal and electric meters, buildingpandemic-related downsizing.manage what you management systems and other relevantIn addition, SFO is investing in airdont monitor, adds sources. The systems ability to analyzequality sensors inside and outsideGareth Ashley, vice data and control existing disparatebuildings to begin incorporatingpresident of Aviation building management systems was adiagnostics there. Technology with major attraction for SFO executives andWSP. In order to Facilities personnel alike.We reduced the scope to just build a skeleton, Camacho says. Its there now.meet energy goals,GARETH ASHLEYIt solved the forementioned problemThe plan is to continue to build upon theyou have to know by consolidating all the controls into askeleton to beef it up. Theres still a hugeabout energy consumption, and you have single platform, with a consistent looklift, but were chopping away at it. to know where that energy and other and feel so operators need only to use aresources are used.single computer, Camacho says. All new construction also will be added to the Energy Management ControlFor years, Facilities personnel at SFO The $41.9 million project to implementSystem. This will allow airport personnelhad requested a system that would allow the new system began seven years ago,to check energy efficiency and otherthem to manage mechanical equipment when more than a dozen stakeholdersperformance metrics from a single device,from a single location. Now they have it. met to establish goals about retrofittinganywhere on airport grounds. A lot of times we were firefighting, all of the airports buildings onto a singleCamacho recalls. Wewere being very Energy Management Control System. We want to invest in and sustain high- reactive instead of being proactive. It was The COVID-19 pandemic paused theperformance assets,something Facilities wanted for a while. project for about 18 months and forcedemphasizes AmyWe just needed to figure out how to build a significant revision of its initial mission.Nagengast, energyit, how to contract it, how to see whatBut in early 2022, the partners resumedprogram manager atwe wanted.planning, this time focused on one coreSFO. Were really initial goal: improving automation andtrying to extend andAMY NAGENGAST Initial Impacts, Future function of the fire/life safety system in theexpand value fromImprovementsInternational Terminal Building, becausecapital project investments. The airport has already begun benefiting the existing components were obsolete.from the Energy Management Control Camacho describes it this way: ItSystem and the benefits will increase as You could notwas about being smarter with how were replace something ifthe remainder of its buildings and systems operating and how much were spendingare incorporated. it is obsolete recallsin our utility bills.John McKernan,I want to make sure additional assets senior vice presidentEnvironmental Leadership get integrated, Nagengast says. The of Operations withBy stepping up to Net Zero energyvalue comes from bringing disparate Suffolk Construction,and carbon accounting goals, SFO isdata sources together, tracking their the design-buildJOHN McKERNAN among world leaders in sustainable andperformance and responding as needed.contractor for theenvironmentally friendly practices. In the meantime, the airport has Energy Management Control Systemalready used its Energy Management project. They would have to evacuate. ItNo other airport on the planet would was a big deal. do this, McKernan asserts. It would beControl System platform to help reduce the first one to achieve this kind of level ofenergy consumption, potentially extend By mid-2024, SFO, Suffolkenergy management. the longevity of assets, and improve Construction, design partner WSP andoperational efficiency.AirportImprovement.comJanuary | February 2026'