Should You Retrofit or Replace? A Guide to Updating Energy Systems

Energy efficiency is a constantly changing landscape; your systems become inevitably outdated with the passage of time. When that happens, you need to decide whether you want to retrofit or replace. Dalkia can act as your energy partner to help you make the most informed and financially responsible decision, put a plan into action and realize cost savings.

What's the Difference? 

• Retrofit: leveraging an existing system and improving upon an application within it, allowing the system to function as it was originally designed.
• Replacement: fully removing the old system and engineering and installing a new one.

Before overhauling and replacing your entire system, it’s important to understand what you need—is a retrofit is a viable option? Which systems do you need reworked? What are your savings goals for your project? At Dalkia, we specialize in digital services, LED lighting and controls, HVAC upgrades, refrigeration upgrades, solar, combined heat and power (CHP), electric vehicle charging and more, and can offer our expertise to any of these matters.

A Simple or "Deep Retrofit" 

Before replacing, you should always see if a less invasive retrofit is possible. If it is, we will take a holistic approach to understand which technologies you’re looking to improve. We can help you achieve a “deep retrofit”, which may include several energy conservation measures (ECMs) like upgrading to an intelligent and computerized management system with reduction goals of 50–75%.

Or we can take a more focused approach on a single system to install single ECMs like internet-based thermostats or demand control ventilation for HVAC systems. The services we offer are based entirely on your need and can be applied singularly or in combination with each other—each facility we work with has a unique vision.

Dalkia is Your Energy Partner

If you have an older energy system and believe it may be on its last legs, then choosing to replace may be your best option. If that’s the case, we can still help: no matter what direction you want to take your facility, we can work as your energy partner to achieve your goals of lower costs and higher efficiency. Contact us to get started with a comprehensive no-pressure energy analysis today.