A commercial client partnered with Henderson Building Solutions to improve energy performance, reduce operating costs, and strengthen facility resilience across a national portfolio of logistics and distribution centers. Facing rising utility expenses, aging mechanical infrastructure, and inconsistent building performance, the client needed a scalable strategy to identify efficiency opportunities while supporting long-term sustainability and decarbonization goals.
Henderson implemented a portfolio-wide retro-commissioning and energy audit program that combined Energy Use Index (EUI) benchmarking, utility analysis, remote energy management system reviews, onsite assessments, and detailed evaluations of HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, lighting, and building envelope systems. The assessments uncovered operational inefficiencies, deferred maintenance issues, and equipment reliability concerns that were driving unnecessary energy consumption and increasing operational risk.
At representative facilities, Henderson identified 15 Energy Conservation Measures that delivered approximately 244,518 kWh in annual energy savings, reducing overall energy consumption by nearly 7 percent and generating approximately $78,000 in annual utility cost savings. Recommended improvements included HVAC scheduling optimization, setpoint standardization, economizer repairs, refrigeration control enhancements, door seal replacements, and building envelope upgrades. The measures carried a median projected payback period of just 2.6 years, allowing facility owners to capture near immediate savings while minimizing capital investment.
One of the highest-performing measures involved HVAC scheduling optimization, which eliminated unnecessary 24-hour operation and aligned system runtimes with occupancy schedules. With an implementation cost of only $260, the measure generated nearly $30,000 in annual savings and accounted for almost half of the total quantified cost reductions.
Beyond operational improvements, we developed a long-term modernization roadmap focused on replacing aging gas-fired rooftop equipment with high-efficiency electric heat pump systems. The strategy aligns with the client's broader carbon-reduction goals by reducing on-site combustion, leveraging existing renewable energy assets, and improving resilience, occupant comfort, and long-term asset performance.
The program delivered measurable cost savings, improved equipment reliability, enhanced operational visibility, and established a repeatable retro-commissioning framework that can be deployed across large logistics and industrial real estate portfolios. By combining low-cost operational improvements with strategic capital planning, we helped the client create a clear path toward lower energy consumption, reduced emissions, and more resilient facility operations.
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