The Federal Energy Management Program developed the Re-tuning Candidate Checklist to help agencies screen and prioritize buildings for re-tuning suitability. Re-tuning suitability is defined in this checklist as the potential for a building to be re-tuned effectively based on a set of various building attributes.

How to Use the Checklist to Screen Your Building for Re-Tuning

1. Read through this document and the listed attributes to understand their impacts in determining whether a building is suitable for re-tuning.
2. Complete the checklist to the best of your ability to see how good a candidate your building is for re-tuning.
3. If you are considering multiple buildings, compare and prioritize the buildings for re-tuning based on the outcomes of each respective checklist, the availability of resources, and other considerations identified.

The Re-tuning Candidate Checklist provides a summary of the attributes used to score a building's re-tuning suitability. Complete the checklist for each of the candidate buildings by marking the appropriate answer in either the green, yellow, or red box for each attribute. A re-tuning suitability scale is provided below to gauge the overall re-tuning suitability of your buildings.

Re-tuning Suitability Scale

• Excellent candidate: All attributes check green
• Very good candidate: Majority of attributes check green with no red
• Good candidate: Majority of attributes check yellow, no red 
• Potential candidate, needs further evaluation: 1 or 2 attributes check red   
• Poor candidate: More than 2 attributes check red

Note that building level EUI or an ENERGY STAR score may not be available for buildings on a campus. If this attribute is unknown, then complete the Re-tuning Candidate Checklist for the other attributes to screen buildings for re-tuning.

Additional Considerations

Re-tuning is typically not recommended for buildings that are under a term of energy savings guarantee project, such as energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs). For buildings under an ESPC, determine that the changes to operational schedules and setpoints will not interfere with the terms defined in the contract. Also, it is important to verify that proposed re-tuning measures comply with all code requirements of the local authority that has jurisdiction.

Re-tuning requires the engagement and agreement of multiple individuals/parties: building managers, owners, occupants, and control contractors. The building managers are required to secure the resources, including:

• Funding qualified control contractors to implement re-tuning changes
• Allocating staff time for building management and operations staff
• Engaging stakeholders in advance and throughout the process
• Providing operations staff with upfront guidance on controls changes implementation.

The limitations within the selected building should also be identified before re-tuning activities take place. For example, limitations might include:

• Critical functions—work with the tenant/space manager to determine if space may be re-tuned. Can operation in these spaces be isolated from the re-tuning effort if necessary?
• Spaces that have special heating, ventilation, and air conditioning requirements (e.g., mission critical spaces or 24/7 occupancy spaces).

Once resources are secured and limitations are identified, it is time to start exploring the re-tuning opportunities.