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UMASS HAMPSHIRE DINING COMMONS

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY

Hampshire Dining Commons is one of the main on-campus dining halls and encompasses 46,000 ft2 of food preparation and dining space. A full building renovation was completed in 2013, including the installation of air handling units and kitchen exhaust hoods and fans. Hampshire Dining Commons struggled from air in-balance and infiltration after the renovation was completed.

B2Q was retained by UMass to perform an investment-grade EBCx investigation and provide turnkey implementation services including Engineering, sub-contractor management, OPM, CxA, M&V and utility incentives. B2Q's EBCx effort identified 13 energy-efficiency and facility improvement measures; the largest being kitchen exhaust fan control and makeup airflow tracking.

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  • Optimized kitchen exhaust airflow control and makeup airflow tracking Implemented differential pressure control on CHW and HW pump sets

  • Added demand controlled ventilation control for non-dining area

  • AHU Absorption chiller plant CHW and condenser water temperature reset

  • Significantly improved airflow balance and building pressurization

  • Achieved 140,000 kWh, 2,600 Mlbs & $65,000 annually in energy and cost savings

  • Obtained $15,000 utility incentive

  • Project had a simple payback of 1.2 years after utility incentive

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Market:

Colleges and Universities

Services:

Energy Efficiency and Analysis
Building Systems
Implementation Services

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The ETIC RCx project was an outstanding success, delivering verified energy savings and operational improvements that exceeded UMass Lowell’s expectations. The project achieved impressive annual cost savings—10% higher than initially projected—while reducing energy intensity by 14% for UMass Lowell’s third-largest utility account.

Beyond cost savings, the initiative delivered significant environmental benefits, cutting annual carbon emissions by 530,000 lbCO2e. Additionally, it enhanced lab safety through robust lab pressurization tracking and the recalibration of all terminal devices.

This success was made possible through the unwavering collaboration between UMass Lowell, B2Q, and NGRID, demonstrating the power of partnership and a shared commitment to cost efficiency, sustainability, and operational excellence.

Daniel Abrahamson 
University of Massachusetts Amherst

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