OBC-FLEX: Enabling Interoperable Demand Flexibility in Commercial Buildings
Summary
SCH Number
2025030953
Public Agency
California Energy Commission
Document Title
OBC-FLEX: Enabling Interoperable Demand Flexibility in Commercial Buildings
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/24/2025
Document Description
The proposed project aims to develop, implement, and showcase innovative and interoperable control sequences, workflows, tools and products to deploy energy-efficient and demand-flexible controls in large commercial buildings at scale (OBC-FLEX). These sequences will be integrated into five commercial Building Automation System (BAS) and Energy Management and Information System (EMIS) platforms and deployed in 4-9 real buildings, totaling up to 700k sqft. Their performance will be tested by a third party M&V evaluator and two major utilities and one CCA will support the campuses' enrollment in DR programs.
Contact Information
Name
Brad Williams
Agency Name
California Energy Commission
Job Title
Mechanical Engineer
Contact Types
Responsible Agency
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Berkeley, Carson, San Diego, San Marcos, San Pablo
Counties
Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Diego
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Barham, Twin Oaks Valley Rd
Zip
92078
Other Information
333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd San Marcos 92096
2600 Mission Bell Dr San Pablo 94806 Contra Costa
1000 E Victoria St Carson 90747 Los Angeles
5500 Campanile Dr San Diego 92182 San Diego
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley 94720 Alameda
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15301
Reasons for Exemption
California Code of Regulations, title 14, Section 15301, provides that projects which consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, and which involve negligible or no expansion of existing or former use, are categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The proposed project will involve potential upgrades of existing controllers/servers and/or software to enable advanced demand flexibility. Depending on the site, there may be a need to install additional networking gateways. At the LBNL main campus, work will involve software development, simulation and bench-top testing of electronic control systems and controls testing in appropriately outfitted office and laboratory spaces. At the demonstration locations, work will include control networking and software retrofits. Therefore, since this project will involve minor alterations of existing sites with negligible to no expansion of existing or former use, the project is exempt from CEQA under Section 15301.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15306
Reasons for Exemption
California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15306, provides that projects which consists of basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource are categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA. The project's goal is to collect data and evaluate resources without causing a major disturbance to environmental resources. Therefore, this project is exempt from CEQA under Section 15306.
Additionally, the project will not impact an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies; does not involve any cumulative impacts of successive projects of the same type in the same place that might be considered significant; does not involve unusual circumstances that might have a significant effect on the environment; will not result in damage to scenic resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; the project site is not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5; and the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Therefore, none of the exceptions to categorical exemptions listed in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply to this project, and this project will not have a significant effect on the environment.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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