Daniel Beaudoin of HSPH Operations (center) stands atop Mt. Washington with friends Frank Sorrento (left) and Chris Riley (right), who works in HSPH Media Services. A wooden marker indicates the summit.
Two years ago, Daniel Beaudoin of HSPH Operations hiked up New Hampshire's Mt. Washington-site of the world's fastest land wind speed ever recorded by a surface observatory station-in a snowstorm. A photo taken at the summit documents the feat. Beaudoin and two companions-Chris Riley from HSPH Media Services and Frank Sorrento, a friend of Beaudoin's-stand bundled against the cold. Spiked crampons on their boots prevent them from sliding around icy trails. The air temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit and the average wind speed is 35 mph. Fog threatens to engulf them. But Beaudoin is loving the moment, and if there's one thing anyone who spends time with him learns, Beaudoin thrives in the outdoors.
He translates this passion into his work as the School's energy and utilities manager. The result-in fiscal year 2004-05, Operations saved HSPH approximately $971,300 in utility costs through various energy efficiency programs.
Beaudoin has spent the last several years examining every inch of HSPH's buildings, seeking ways to improve energy efficiency and incorporate green technologies. His efforts, combined with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, have helped Harvard University win a recent award from the U.S. Department of Energy for purchasing certificates that add more wind power to the nation's energy grid. Beaudoin personally has received an award from the International Facilities Management Association Boston Chapter for his efforts on and off campus.
"Danny is an energy nut. He has been incredibly ingenious in identifying ways to save energy," said Paul Riccardi, Dean for Administration and Operations. "The School has one of the country's leading Departments of Environmental Health, and, through these efforts, we can practice what we teach by providing a safe and healthy environment that fosters learning and discovery economically."
The savings from the energy efficiency measures could not have come at a better time, with costs going through the roof this winter. Beaudoin estimates that the School will be spending an additional 37 percent on energy costs this fiscal year alone-a $1.78 million increase over last fiscal year. Without the energy conservation measures, that number would be considerably higher.
"Given the rising cost of fossil fuels and the environmental impacts associated with them, it makes sense that we all become more conscious of how we consume energy, and collectively look for ways to reduce our environmental impact," said Beaudoin.
TEACHING OLD BUILDINGS NEW TRICKS
Beaudoin began working at HSPH in 1987, before there was an FXB Building or a Landmark Center. The growth of the School has brought increased energy needs, and in 2004, Beaudoin and his team began a massive retro-commissioning pilot project with utility company NSTAR.
Turn the Lights Off: Last year, Operations found that lights remained turned on in offices and in labs 35 percent of the time each week-when no one was in the room. The wasted wattage added up. Now, motion sensors have been installed in all offices, conference rooms, restrooms, and in most hallways so that lights automatically turn off when no one's around. Labs-the School's biggest energy user-are also being fitted with motion sensors after Beaudoin demonstrated that the sensors would not compromise safety.
Waterworld: Many faucets at the School were designed to allow a flow of 1.5 gallons per minute, but plumbing professionals have found less water can still get the job done. Now, the School has faucets that spout .5 gallons per minute. This change, along with numerous other water conservation efforts at the School, save enough water each year to fill 52 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Taking the heat: Beaudoin is figuring out how to capitalize on HSPH's heating system. The School receives superheated, 340 degree Fahrenheit steam from a local power plant. Once here, the steam is allowed to give off its heat, reverting back to water. That water is currently returned to the power plant at 180 degrees-but the plant allows for a lower, minimum temperature of 150 degrees. The 30-degree difference offers a chance for the School to preheat water resources-say, for bathroom sinks-at no extra cost.
Hoods: Numerous labs at the School use fume hoods for ventilating gases produced by experiments. Operations has replaced 27 hoods with more efficient models that have better containment and save approximately $3,000 per hood per year.
It's a flat world: Operations and IT have been encouraging computer users to purchase flat screen monitors instead of old-fashioned and less energy efficient cathode tube monitors.
There are numerous other elements to the retrofitting project, as well as additional Operations programs. To track the fruits of this labor, Beaudoin has begun using a software program nicknamed "Dashboard" that allows Operations to monitor the usage of electricity, steam, and chilled water, and their associated predicted consumptions based on historical data and current outdoor weather conditions in real time. Work orders and service calls can also be tracked. This program not only allows Operations to identify the greatest energy needs, but also gives the department a way to build records. This history will form the basis for future projections so that Beaudoin will be able to predict, for example, how much heat the School will need next February and will be able to correlate the information to outside weather conditions.
Beaudoin stresses that all of this work comes from a strong team effort and from the cooperation of many HSPH members and outsourced vendors. He describes himself as simply a voice for organizing initiatives.
TAKING WORK HOME
Beaudoin is also heading a collaborative project dubbed HOME (Harvard Operations and Maintenance Excellence), which will streamline Operations' tasks, while improving preventive maintenance and space management programs.
"Our goal is to develop 'best practices' in asset management," said Beaudoin. "This effort may serve as a model that highlights operations and maintenance efficiency through enhancements to technology and work processes to support our people in the preservation of our assets."
One completed project was networking all utility meters at the School. The information is sent automatically to a database, which cuts down on paperwork and on entry errors.
Work requests are becoming streamlined so that simpler tasks are completed within 24 hours. More complicated needs are given a lengthier timeline goal of within five business days.
Another goal is to dovetail the management of construction projects, office and lab moves, and space availability.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Beaudoin hopes that the energy efficiency programs and streamlining initiatives on which Operations has been working will help provide guideposts for the School if it moves to an Allston campus one day.
"We need to develop benchmarks now so that we have a roadmap towards the best industry practices," said Beaudoin. "We are always looking for better ways to do business and to share those practices with our peers at Harvard and elsewhere."
Copyright, 2009, President and Fellows of Harvard College
