A CASE STUDY ON BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES AT W.E. HUNT RECREATION CENTER, TOWN OF HOLLY SPRINGS

The Town of Holly Springs, located in Wake County of North Carolina, is interested in improving energy efficiency in municipal operations and facilities to offset increasing energy consumption and utility costs that are a substantial contributor to the Town’s budget. The purpose of this Master’s Project is twofold: a) to examine energy use in the Town; and b) to explore passive energy efficiency measures, particularly tree shade effect on annual energy consumption, for the most energy-intensive building owned by the Town. Quantifying the energy conservation benefits of trees in the urban environment adds value municipal tree planting efforts. This study utilized the eQuest energy simulation software to evaluate a series of proposed energy efficiency measures (EEM) on consumption and financial savings. The study concluded with recommendations on which EEMs to pursue based on savings generated.