Improving a Building's Efficiency
Several years ago, the owner of the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado decided to upgraded his business with new energy-efficient lighting, super-insulated double-paned windows, and an efficient evaporative cooler that cooled the interior in the summer (through evaporation) and heated it in the winter with a gas-fired heating chamber. As a result, the energy costs of the building dropped by almost $5,000 per year - an amount that enabled the improvements to pay for themselves in 36 months. Efficient toilets and faucet aerators (devices that reduce the flow of water) helped the business save even more money and energy-efficient windows, which reduce ultraviolet ray levels from the sun, protect the shop’s books from fading. Best of all, the improved interior lighting brightened the store’s interior, which led to increased customer browsing times.
This story is by no means unique. Most of the efficiency improvements that can be made within a building are both simple and cost-effective and can save an organization thousands of dollars. For example, assigning an office ‘switch-off monitor’ (a person whose job is to walk around an office or building ensuring that unused lights and equipment is turned off) has reduced the energy bills of some businesses by 20-percent.
In the northern United States, a factory foreman labeled the light switches in the building where he worked so employees no longer turned on all the lights -- only the ones they needed. This simple act shaved $30,000 off the business’s annual electricity bill.
In another example, an ice storage plant in the south was re-programmed to produce ice overnight to take advantage of lower electricity rates. The resulting chilled water not only cost less to produce it was used to cool a nearby building during the day.
Multiplying Efficiency Savings
One of the more intriguing aspects of efficiency is that the savings it creates don’t just add up, they tend to multiply. Take, for example, a parametric analysis of an office building in Florida, which revealed that:
30% of the building’s annual cooling load was used to fight the heat produced by its lighting system (this is due to the fact that approximately 85-percent of a standard light bulb’s energy consumption produces heat, not light),
20% was used to combat solar heat that streamed in from the windows,
15% was used to offset heat buildup from the roof, and,
13% was used to neutralize the heat generated by internal office equipment (i.e.: photocopiers, computers, printers, coffee makers, etc.)
In other words, 78% of the building’s cooling needs were required to offset wasteful inefficiencies. This is a common problem in many buildings. One poorly designed system ends up fighting against that of another and the bill-payer ends up funding both sides.
For a small business, these costs can amount to significant money loss. In a major corporation they may amount to three or four-percent of overall expenses. Either way, cost savings still multiply when waste is eliminated and efficiency becomes an over-riding objective.
Consider, for example, the story of the Fortune 500 company CEO who was informed that one of his sites was saving $3.50 per square foot (.09 sq. meter) per year in energy costs thanks to the introduction of efficient practices. For some time the CEO assumed that these savings only amounted to a small percentage of his total annual expenditures so he didn’t think much about them – until it was explained that achieving similar results in his company’s 90 million square feet (8.3 million square meters) of floor space would boost the company’s earnings by 56-percent annually (Hawken, et al, 1999).
Suggestions for Improving the Efficiency of Building Interiors
How can a business reduce the unseen, unfelt, and unheard pileup of compounding waste constantly going on within it? An effective first step is to turn off all office equipment and machinery at its source when these items are not in use. This can cut 5% to 40% off an energy bill because most electrical items still draw power when they’re switched off. Even the battery charger for a mobile phone draws electricity when the phone is not hooked up to it. Additional suggestions include:
Replace all the light bulbs in the building with energy efficient lightbulbs (also called compact fluorescent lightbulbs or CFL’s). Energy efficient light bulbs save money in several ways: (1) they use less electricity, (2) they emit up to 85-percent less heat (which reduces a building’s cooling needs), and, (3) they can last more than 25 times longer than standard bulbs (indeed, a recent study showed that 70% of energy-efficient bulbs actually last significantly longer than their manufacturers claim). For every CFL used, a business can save up to $30 in energy costs per year over the life of the bulb and every CFL bulb helps keep 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of CO2 emissions out of the air.
Do keep in mind that most CFL’s currently contain mercury so they have to be disposed of properly.
LED lights present another low-energy option, however, the jury is still out on them. Although LED lights use minute amounts of electricity (and radiate almost no heat), they are much more expensive than CFL bulbs. LED’s also emit a very narrow frequency of light (which may impede tasks requiring full-spectrum lighting) and they cast a focused beam of light rather than disperse their brightness over a wide area. Furthermore, the brightest LED’s are currently capable of only emitting the equivalent of 40 standard light bulb watts, which isn’t enough for most work purposes. The bottom line? For outdoor, specialized, or decorative purposes, LED lights may be worth the extra cost. Using them for other applications, however, may require some thought.
Lastly, note that low voltage lights are not energy efficient and CFL bulbs do not need to be kept on when a room is left vacant because they require more power to warm up.
Replace old exit signs with Energy Star rated alternatives. For every sign changed, $10 will be eliminated from the energy bill of the building where the sign is located. The energy-efficient bulb inside will also last ten times longer than a standard bulb.
Put lighting systems on a timer and hook up exterior lights - as well as bathroom, closet, and storage area lighting - to motion detectors. Motion detectors help keep lights off that don’t need to be on. The city of Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, for example, is considering attaching motion detectors to all its outside lighting – including its advertising billboards - which is predicted to reduce the city’s energy bills by 30%.
Replace old windows with energy-efficient upgrades. More heat (or cooling) is lost through windows than any other single source, a situation described as comparable to throwing dollar bills out a window.
Increase the size and number of insulated windows and add skylights. Letting in more natural light decreases the need for artificial lighting (and electricity) and increases human performance levels.
Insulate interior walls, ceilings, and wall spaces. Extra insulation is always worth the cost.
Replace all office equipment with energy efficient alternatives. Doing so not only reduces energy costs, it also drastically reduces the heat these devices emit. Remember, all electrical equipment has two price tags: the first is the purchase price and the second is the lifetime energy cost. In the USA, look for the Energy Star label to help offset the latter - in Europe, look for the Energy Star label or the Energy Saving Recommended label.
Electronic items that carry these labels have had their electricity requirements reduced by as much as 30-percent (or more). The 35,000 square feet A-OK Auto Body Shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for example, replaced its interior lighting system with energy-efficient substitutes, installed motion detectors on its exterior lights and its bathroom lighting, placed timers on its water heaters and coffee pots, and added programmable thermostats to its climate control system. As a result, the business saw its energy bills decline $5,577 in one year. The cost of these improvements paid for themselves in 16 months. Further improvements included replacing an old refrigerator with an energy-efficient model, upgrading an old air-conditioner to a cheaper more efficient model, and installing new electric heaters that run on less electricity while producing more heat. A-OK’s total energy savings not only saved it a small fortune, they prevented 68,255 pounds (31,000 kilograms) of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Remove paper towel dispensers from restrooms and replace them with low-energy blow dryers. Making one ton of paper towels from recycled paper requires 7,000 gallons (26,498 liters) of water, 360 gallons (1,363 liters) of oil, and 158 million BTUs of energy. During this process 86-pounds (39 kilos) of pollutants are released into the atmosphere. Noting this waste, the university student union at California State Northridge decided to remove its paper towel dispensers and replace them with wall mounted, low-energy hand dryers, a move that eliminated $21,000 worth of annual paper towel costs.
Seal all leaks in your building’s ducts and ventilation systems as well as around plumbing and wiring. Duct system leakage can account for up to 30% or more of wasted energy. Proper duct sealing also keeps dust, mold, and mildew at bay. (Some experts recommend the use of self-sealing foams or mastic because duct tape is apparently an ineffective way to seal duct leaks.)
Take advantage of under-floor heating. Heat rises so an under-floor heating system is inherently more efficient than one that uses wall-mounted radiators.
Take extra care to select non-toxic carpets (and carpet glue), paint, varnish and other safe interior decorations. Fumes and particles from these materials can be debilitating to human health and performance.
Consider purchasing an evaporative cooler (or ‘swamp cooler’) for your cooling needs. Evaporative coolers pull air over pads soaked in water, which uses a quarter of the energy of refrigerated air.
Invest in geothermal energy, a cost-effective heat pump, or an Energy Star rated furnace. Geothermal energy uses underground water, which is relatively stable at 55 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius) to heat a building in the winter or cool it in the summer. Ground-source heat pumps use liquid natural gas in a closed-loop system that exchanges heat (or when reversed, coolness). In addition, ground-sourced heat pumps require only a small amount of electricity to keep their compressors running.
Install low-energy ceiling fans. By gradually circulating air through a building, slow-speed ceiling fans make the most of a heating and cooling system and can drastically reduce energy costs. A Subway Sandwiches shop in Norman, Oklahoma, for example, cut its annual energy costs by $20,000, in part, by installing ceiling fans in its kitchen. The shop also replaced its lighting with energy-efficient bulbs (which reduced the number of bulbs needed yet doubled the store’s brightness), replaced old ice makers and water heaters with efficient models, then tinted the building’s windows.
Use a programmable thermostat. For every degree a thermostat is lowered, up to five-percent can be saved on the heating portion of an energy bill. Another good tip is to keep electrical equipment and lamps away from thermostats. The heat these items generate adversely affect temperature readings.
Wrap hot water heaters in an insulated blanket. This not only saves money it also prevents hundreds of pounds of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Where possible, fill workplaces with indoor plants and trees. Large indoor gardens appear to have a remarkable effect in reducing employee fatigue and can be instrumental in increasing productivity.
Check to see if your business is eligible for energy efficient tax incentives. Some governments offer tax breaks or tax credits for businesses that strive to increase the efficiency of the building in which they operate. Typically, tax credits are awarded for installing energy-saving technology and equipment, using hybrid vehicles, adopting efficient heating and cooling systems, switching to solar (or wind) energy systems – and/or for making efficient constructions or renovations.
[*]Keep in mind that these suggestions are just a fraction of the energy-saving practices available to business building operators and owners. Involve your employees in finding more.
From: Managing the New Frontiers by Jonathan T. Scott, Management Education Services publications, Panama City (Florida), 2008.
