The DECC board of directors and its design team are committed to building one of the first arenas in the world with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. Among the ways we’ll reach this goal are as follows:

LEED Strategies

Goal is to achieve LEED Certified level which requires 26-32 points. Points are earned in each of six categories.

The following is a partial list of several strategies that will be pursued in each of the six LEED categories:

60% Energy Reduction Target

Our goal is to reduce energy use by approximately 60% over traditional arenas. This is roughly equivalent to a 30% reduction from the ASHRAE 90.1 2004 Energy Standard. We fully intend to meet this target with a combination of conservation, efficiency and renewables.

Computer Based Energy Modeling

We have already been undergoing state-of-the-art computer modeling of the arena. We are exploring about 130 different alternative strategies ranging from different levels of insulation, different types of glazing, alternative mechanical systems, daylighting and alternative lighting systems and pump and motor efficiencies. We will select from these 130 different alternatives those options that appear to have the most promise for saving energy and at the same time are most cost effective. These options will then be computer modeled and we will then select the one with the best combination of energy savings potential and cost effectiveness for final design.

Use of Waste Heat from Duluth Steam Plant

One of the strategies that will likely have the most impact on energy reduction is the use of waste heat from the Duluth Steam Plant. Currently much of the heat generated from steam production simply goes into the atmosphere. Since the single biggest energy use in this type of facility is for space heating, the ability to use a renewable source of energy is an excellent, renewable opportunity. The waste heat at the steam plant will be captured with heat exchangers and distributed via hot water pipes to the new arena. The total heat load for the new arena will be satisfied with energy from this waste steam heat. This is truly a renewable source of energy utilizing no new fossil fuel for production.

Optimization of Space Requirements

As many are aware, the real energy challenge is in reducing actual energy consumption. In the U.S., energy use per unit of GDP has fallen by 50% since 1975, yet total energy consumption has risen by more than 40%. The average house size in 1950 was 1,000 SF and today it's about 2,500 SF. If we design a building to be 20% more efficient but make the building 20% bigger than it really needs to be, we have not reduced energy consumption. This is often overlooked in the building design process, but not on this project. Through a disciplined owner and architect/engineer collaborative effort, every space and relationship have been challenged and fine tuned to build the optimum size facility. This creative effort actually was able reduce the final building size without compromising the function and operations of the facility by over 10% from the original program. Imagine the energy and carbon dioxide reduction over the life of the new arena as a result of this effort.

Commissioning

We are implementing a formal commissioning process for the arena which will ensure that all mechanical and electrical systems are operating at optimum performance prior to owner occupancy. In most buildings today it is safe to say that as much as 20% of the energy is simply wasted because the building systems are not operated to achieve optimum efficiency. Prior to turning the building over to the DECC staff, all the critical systems will be actually given a test run to make sure that when handed over they are operating at optimum efficiency.

Other Renewable Alternatives

The DECC is also exploring the use of solar and/or wind applications as demonstration projects. This will be highly dependent on available funding, but an example might be to power the skyway connection lighting with solar PV or small scale wind turbines. We are also considering use of LED lighting in portions of the facility where appropriate. We will studying such options a little later in the design process.