Project Overview

In 2017, CEG Solutions partnered with the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds to improve sustainability across the 350-acre event & entertainment venue. After a construction contract for this project was awarded in April 2019, CEG compressed a 7-month schedule into a 10-week period so that construction could be completed prior to the start of the next annual fair so the client could realize significant savings as soon as possible.

Our Approach

While exploring opportunities to conserve energy and water, we determined that peak-demand penalties made up over 33% of Del Mar’s electrical expenses. Further, our data analytics showed that over 50% of the annual peak demand could not be accounted for by predictable loads, such as lighting or cooling. Instead, the data pointed to a four-hour period during each night of the annual San Diego County Fair—which draws over 1.5 million visitors and 450+ vendors to Del Mar each year— that caused the spike in electricity demand. CEG devised an innovative solution to engage directly with end users and drive behavioral changes to slash peak demand. Combined with more traditional ECMs, CEG reduced peak demand by 25% and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars of verified savings at a low cost.

Our Solution

In addition to ECMs listed, CEG explored several strategies to curb peak electricity demand. CEG developed an incentive program to encourage the 450+ retail, food, ride & game vendors to conserve power during the fair. CEG spoke with all tenants on multiple occasions, offering promotional benefits, discounted LED lighting products, and free energy-efficiency consultations. CEG educated tenants on the benefits of energy-efficient products, and even brought supplies directly to tenants to test and buy.

Our initial tenant education program boasted 85% participation and reduced facility demand by 686 kW. After CEG (1) implemented various additional energy conservation measures and (2) found ways to get several major tenants to participate in the engagement program, we produced a 1.2MW (25%) reduction in peak power demand.