Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), launched the Re‑tuning Challenge in 2019 to provide selected federal agencies with a no-cost opportunity to receive re-tuning training and support for a building in their portfolio. The Re‑tuning Challenge highlights the advantages of re‑tuning from the energy savings and occupant comfort perspective. The main objectives are to:

• Provide training on how the re-tuning process is completed or accomplished.
• Enable estimation of outcomes from various re-tuning measure implementations.
• Help existing sites build the capability to perform re‑tuning on their own.
• Train the trainer by encouraging trained individuals to help train others in their organization.

FEMP and PNNL’s support to the selected sites includes:

• Guidance for re-tuning of one building.
• Re-tuning training for site staff and other key stakeholders.
• Resources (leave behinds) that site staff can use to conduct re-tuning at other buildings.

Starting in 2023, FEMP’s Re-tuning Challenge pivoted to a hybrid training model with a combination of traditional on-site (physical) re-tuning training and remote (from a distance) training with building modeling and simulation. This approach is possible using remote auditing tools, on-demand trainings, and other re‑tuning resources. These resources include:

• Building Re-tuning Screening Tool: The screening tool helps agencies screen and prioritize buildings for re-tuning suitability.
• Re-tuning Training for Buildings with Building Automation System: Online, interactive training course covering re-tuning for buildings with building automation systems (BAS).
• Re-tuning Training for Buildings Without BAS: Online, interactive training course covering re-tuning for buildings without building automation systems.
• FEMP’s Building Re-tuning Simulator: The Building Re-tuning Simulator (BRS) is a free, easy to use, online tool that helps identify low-cost and no-cost re-tuning measures.
• BRS Training: Online training introducing the audience to the BRS.

The re-tuning team is currently providing training to federal agencies as part of the FEMP Re‑tuning Challenge. 

Additional Tools and Resources

Four Principles—Blank Re-tuning Checklist: A notetaking template for a few dozen most common building re-tuning measures.

Re-tuning Measure Guide: Provides guidance on the re-tuning measures outlined in the Re‑tuning Measure Checklist. For each measure, the applicability, recommendation guidance, and validation steps (where applicable) are provided.

Re-tuning Building Walkthrough Notetaking Checklist: A simplified checklist outlining what the practitioner should take notes on during a re‑tuning focused building walkthrough of mechanical systems.

Re-tuning Building Walkthrough Checklist with Guidance: A checklist with more detailed guidance on what to look for during a re‑tuning focused building walkthrough of mechanical systems.

Re-tuning Trending Guidance: A list of BAS points that should be trended as a part a re‑tuning evaluation.

Interval Meter Analysis Tool: An Excel macro-enabled workbook used for metered data analysis and measurement and verification of savings. An instruction document is included in the zip folder with example data.