CPACE Efficiency Improvements 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under CPACE financing, which building system upgrade typically delivers the fastest simple payback period?
- Lighting retrofit to LED (Correct answer)
- Roof replacement with cool-roof coating
- Elevator modernization
- Structural seismic upgrades
Correct answer: Lighting retrofit to LED
LED lighting retrofits typically achieve payback periods of 2–4 years due to large wattage reductions and low installation costs.
Question 2: A commercial building owner uses CPACE to finance a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) on HVAC fans. The primary energy benefit of a VFD is:
- It eliminates the need for air filters
- It reduces motor energy use by matching speed to actual load demand (Correct answer)
- It increases refrigerant efficiency by 15%
- It converts AC motors to DC for higher efficiency
Correct answer: It reduces motor energy use by matching speed to actual load demand
VFDs reduce energy consumption by slowing motor speed when full airflow isn't needed, following the affinity law where power drops with the cube of speed reduction.
Question 3: Which CPACE-eligible measure directly reduces a building's peak demand charge on its utility bill?
- Water heater insulation blankets
- Battery energy storage systems (BESS) (Correct answer)
- Interior paint with high-reflectivity finish
- Plumbing fixture low-flow aerators
Correct answer: Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
Battery storage systems discharge during peak demand periods, reducing the measured peak kW that drives demand charges on commercial utility bills.
Question 4: An energy audit for a CPACE project identifies 'plug loads' as a significant waste source. Which measure addresses plug load efficiency?
- Upgrading to a high-efficiency boiler
- Installing smart power strips and advanced power management (Correct answer)
- Adding window film to reduce solar heat gain
- Replacing the cooling tower with a closed-loop system
Correct answer: Installing smart power strips and advanced power management
Smart power strips eliminate phantom loads from equipment in standby mode, directly reducing plug load energy waste.
Question 5: In a CPACE efficiency project, what does 'commissioning' refer to?
- The lender's fee for originating the CPACE loan
- The process of verifying installed systems operate as designed to achieve projected savings (Correct answer)
- A city permit required before construction begins
- The property assessment added to the tax roll
Correct answer: The process of verifying installed systems operate as designed to achieve projected savings
Commissioning (Cx) is a quality-assurance process ensuring that energy systems are installed, tested, and operating per design specifications to deliver projected savings.
Question 6: A CPACE project finances a building envelope upgrade. Which metric best quantifies the thermal performance of insulation installed?
- U-factor
- R-value (Correct answer)
- SHGC
- WWR
Correct answer: R-value
R-value measures thermal resistance of insulation — higher R-value means greater resistance to heat flow and better insulating performance.
Question 7: When sizing a CPACE-financed chiller replacement, engineers use 'ton-hours' to measure:
- The structural load capacity of the mechanical room floor
- Cooling energy delivered over time, used to calculate efficiency and cost savings (Correct answer)
- The weight of refrigerant required for the system
- Total construction labor hours for installation
Correct answer: Cooling energy delivered over time, used to calculate efficiency and cost savings
Ton-hours represent the cumulative cooling energy provided (1 ton = 12,000 BTU/hr), used to calculate annual energy consumption and project savings.
CPACE Efficiency Improvements 2
Under CPACE financing, which building system upgrade typically delivers the fastest simple payback period?