FacilityBlog from Today's Facility Manager: The First Facility Management Blog

Sofitel Hotel Chain Taps Wind Energy Options

2008-04-07T10:38:00.004-04:00

Accor North America announced a new agreement between its Sofitel Hotels and wind energy supplier Community Energy, Inc. to purchase clean, renewable, wind energy for all nine Sofitel locations in the U.S. This purchase of wind generated power in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) qualifies Sofitel Hotels as an EPA Green Power Partner, making it the first hotel chain to choose green power for each of the brand’s hotel locations in the country.

“We’re proud to step up as a leader in our industry and to do our part for the environment. Our customers recognize and value the commitment we’ve made to a safe and secure energy future. We hope others will follow our lead and make the choice as well,” said Robert Moore, senior vice president of Technical Services for Accor North America.

Sofitel has nine locations throughout the United States including two in Chicago and one in Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, DC. These properties will buy a total of 1,527,000 kilowatt hours (kWhs) of renewable energy.

Compared to the average generation mix in the regional electric grid, the environmental benefit from this purchase is equal to offsetting approximately two million pounds of carbon dioxide per year, the impact of which is equivalent to planting more than 800 acres of trees each year or not driving 2.36 million miles. This level of commitment makes Sofitel the first hotel chain to become an EPA Green Power Partner.

"EPA applauds our corporate partners for protecting our environment by purchasing green power," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By voluntarily shifting to renewable energy, Accor North America is proving you don’t need to wait for a signal in order to go green."

Community Energy President Brent Alderfer stated, “Sofitel has stepped up as a leader in the hospitality industry. Their renewable energy purchase puts their energy dollars to work to benefit the environment and the nation. As more customers choose to follow their lead and purchase renewable energy, we can bring more clean power resources online to meet that demand.”

Sofitel has also led the industry in efforts to reduce water and energy usage such as the use of ozone laundry systems in its properties. Last September, Sofitel San Francisco Bay was honored nationally by the WateReuse Association as the 2007 Customer of the Year for becoming the first to collaborate with the City of Redwood City, Calif., on its Recycled Water Project.

This agreement with Community Energy signifies the commitment of Accor North America and Sofitel to energy efficiency and sustainable development. Accor North America’s annual Earth Guest program in 2007 consisted of extensive and ongoing environmental initiatives including the planting of 20,000 trees representing each Accor employee in North America, implementation of a 65-point environmental check list at all properties and at the corporate headquarters, and donation of $375,000 to educational and charitable groups. Earth Guest program activities are led and put into action at the corporate level and in local communities by Accor North America’s four brands and over 950 properties – Sofitel, Novotel, Studio 6, and Motel 6 in the U.S. and Canada.

What is Wind Energy?
Wind Energy is a clean source of electricity produced when specially designed wind turbines capture the wind to generate electricity. Like historical windmills, modern wind turbines generate power from the wind. New wind turbines are the fastest growing and one of the most cost-effective renewable energy technologies in the world, and are producing power all across the United States.

What are the Benefits of Wind Energy?
Among other benefits, Wind Energy is clean and helps reduce air pollution; combats climate change; diversifies energy supply; creates jobs and regional growth and delivers clean power on a large scale.

How can I Purchase Wind Energy for my Business?
Community Energy works with a number of different utility companies throughout the country offering clean, renewable energy products that can be purchased as an additional item on your electricity bill. If Community Energy does not have a partnership with your utility, you can still support wind energy through the purchase of wind Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). These third-party certified RECs ensure that each month, clean wind energy is being generated and delivered to the power grid on your behalf, helping to make the mix of electricity in the power grid cleaner.

How Will the Wind Energy get to my Business?
Your purchase ensures that wind energy is generated and placed onto the power grid on your behalf. You can think of the power grid like a giant bathtub being filled with electricity from many different faucets - like nuclear, coal or wind. Every time you turn on a light switch, you drain a little electricity from the tub. By buying wind energy from Community Energy you are increasing the amount of pollution-free wind generated electricity, or pouring clean water into the tub, and decreasing the need for energy generation from other non-renewable polluting sources. Wind energy is guaranteed to be placed on the grid in an amount equal to your purchase size, thereby matching your power consumption with clean, renewable wind energy generation. For information, click this link.

FRIDAY FUNNY: Japanese Dress Code Lightens Up in Summer

2008-03-07T12:06:00.010-05:00

While most facility managers are still shaking off the last vestiges of winter (didn't Northern Texas just get hit with nine inches of snow?), here's one amusing and topical story from Japan: it's all about the Cool Biz campaign. And in a country with a heightened sense of business formality (at least compared to many U.S. companies), it has been an unusual transition from suits and ties to short sleeve shirts and open collars during the summer months.

So what's Cool Biz all about? Saving energy, of course!

Back in 2005, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment launched a campaign for government offices to crank up thermostats to 28˚C (that's a toasty 82.4˚F) from June 1 through September 30. From Wikipedia:

The Cool Biz dress code advises workers to starch collars so they stand up and to wear trousers made from materials that breathe and absorb moisture. Additionally, workers are encouraged to wear short sleeved shirts without jackets or ties. Many workers, though, were confused about whether they should follow the new stipulations—many came to work with their jackets in hand and their ties in their pockets. Even those who liked the idea of dressing more casually sometimes became self-conscious during their commutes when they were surrounded by non-government employees who were all wearing standard business suits. Many government workers said they felt it was impolite to not wear a tie when meeting counterparts from the private sector.

All of the government leaders practiced Cool Biz. Prime Minister Koizumi was frequently interviewed without a tie or jacket, and this produced a significant advertising effect.

The policy "has so far trimmed more than two million tons of greenhouse gases from the country's growing emissions, reports David Kestenbaum of NPR. He adds, "And in the second year — 2006 — the number of companies and numbers of businessmen who participated in the Cool Biz initiative expanded enormously. The participation numbers doubled or tripled, cutting about 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions."

More from the NPR story:

Some retailers see Cool Biz as a chance to make money. The barber's association in Japan is promoting a Cool Biz hair cut, styled in the shape of a Mohawk. There's also a new market for Cool Biz clothes.

The Aoyama clothing store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood advertises global warming suits for men.

Store manager Masanobu Miyagi says the best suit to have to stay cool is the "Su su suit" — or the one-pound suit, so light you barely know you're wearing it.

The company has sold 400,000 Cool Biz suits, which cost about $500 each.

The store also carries global warming underwear.

"Once you wear these, you won't wear others boxers," Miyagi says.

There are also "air conditioned jackets" from a company called Kuchofuku Inc. on the market, but these may be considered just a little too funky.

For more results on the CoolBiz campaign, click this link.

Top photo courtesy of Scratch; bottom photo courtesy of MensTech..

Congressional Priorities?

2008-03-04T17:55:00.004-05:00

Of all the challenges facing the United States, aren't you glad your elected legislators are spending their time protecting us from ourselves and banning certain types of light bulbs?

In case you missed the news, you soon won't be able to buy replacement bulbs for MANY lighting fixtures in our homes, schools, restaurants and workplaces. While arguing that compact fluorescent lights (cfl) use less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs, the fact that cfls contain mercury (an element unwelcome in most facilities, landfills and water streams) is almost never mentioned. Perhaps that would simply be another "inconvenient truth" that we will ignore until the avalanche of unintended consequences begins.

I suppose we'll have to wait and see if cfls become the next cottage industry for the personal injury attorneys when class action lawsuits are flying over broken cfl bulbs and mercury contaminated carpeting, food and pre-school cribs.

The attached article from Wall Street Journal more fully summarizes the "illumination" of our self-deluded but "bright" congressional leadership.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110011070&mod=RSS_Opinion_Journal&ojrss=frontpage

By the way, if you don't like the idea of the government selecting your lighting -- don't forget that in the 90s we fiddled as Uncle Sam mandated less efficient, less serviceable refrigerants (the ban on equipment using CFCs) and your favorite 12 flush "low-flow-frequa-plunge" toilets!

What's next? I'm glad you asked!

With baseball season just around the corner, the new windmill chase / congressional distraction seems to be in full swing just in time for "spring training". In case you haven't heard: The most important challenge facing Congress right now is the use of steroids in baseball. Attached is another WSJ article with the details.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006475

Don't worry. Pretty soon we won't have to think or do anything for ourselves and we'll all be "safe"....and easily enslaved.

I don't know who said it first but there is a great saying for times like these: "A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have."

Poor Richard

Energy Challenge Gains Momentum

2008-02-25T10:41:00.004-05:00

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International's 7-Point Challenge, an energy reduction plan to achieve market transformation in the commercial real estate industry, is gaining momentum as the leading companies and BOMA local associations around the country sign on to endorse the challenge.

BOMA International introduced its Market Transformation Energy Plan, which includes the 7-Point Challenge, to its members in July 2007 as an aggressive but realistic strategy to reduce the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production in commercial buildings. The goals of the plan include decreasing energy consumption by 30% across portfolios by 2012; benchmarking energy performance and water usage through the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® benchmarking tool; and providing education to building owners, facility managers, and others involved in building operations, to ensure that equipment is properly operated and maintained.

"We are very proud to see this important initiative gaining momentum in the industry," said BOMA International Chairman and Chief Elected Officer Brenna S. Walraven, RPA, CPM, executive managing director, national property management, USAA Real Estate Company. "Commercial real estate professionals understand that in addition to the tremendous financial value created by adopting and executing on the goals of the 7 Point Challenge, implementing 'green' management practices also results in a positive return for building occupants and for the environment."

Through the 7-Point Challenge, BOMA is working with real estate professionals, government officials at all levels, as well as a myriad of public and private groups to achieve market transformation. Real estate companies and organizations are using the 7-Point Challenge as both a call to action and a template for developing sustainability programs and improving energy performance.

Companies endorsing the challenge include Carr Services, CB Richard Ellis, Colonial Properties Trust, Cousins Properties, Cushman & Wakefield, Glenborough, Hines, LBA Realty, Opus, Parmenter Realty Group, PM Realty Group, Stream Realty Partners, Transwestern and USAA Real Estate Company.

BOMA local associations endorsing the challenge include Austin, Boston, Greater Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver Metro, Metropolitan Detroit, Houston, Miami-Dade, New Mexico, New York, Oakland-East Bay, Orange County, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The EPA's ENERGY STAR program has also given the challenge its endorsement.

Data Center Energy Efficiency Initiatives are Gaining Ground Despite Challenges

2008-02-19T09:10:00.003-05:00

Last September, Emerson Network Power released results from an industry survey providing insight into the actions some data center operators have taken to increase the efficiency of their facilities and identifying the challenges organizations face in driving additional improvements.

The survey was conducted by the Data Center Users’ Group® (DCUG), a group of influential data center, IT, and facility managers formed by Emerson Network Power. It was completed in coordination with the U.S. EPA and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs to support the EPA’s recently released “Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency.”

The Executive Summary of the EPA report can be downloaded here.
EPA_Report_Exec_Summary_Final.pdf

More than 150 DCUG member companies and non-member Fortune 500 companies participated in the survey, which covered a variety of data center topics including power management, precision cooling, energy efficiency, technology implementation, and consolidation.

According to the survey, the majority of respondents have made operational improvements to increase energy efficiency. Seventy-seven percent have their data center arranged in a hot aisle/cold aisle configuration to increase cooling system efficiency; 65% use blanking panels to minimize recirculation of hot air; and 56% have sealed the floor to prevent cooling losses. The survey also shows the growing popularity of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to identify hot spots and optimize airflow within the facility, with 25% of respondents having already conducted a CFD analysis of their facilities.

“We have been promoting the value of best practices to optimize the efficiency of existing systems for the last several years, so it is gratifying to see these tactics being widely adopted in the market,” said Bob Bauer, Emerson group vice president and Liebert Worldwide president. “They are among the first – and easiest – steps in optimizing data center efficiency. Now, we as an industry have to address the challenges of taking efficiency initiatives even further.”

According to the survey, challenges that data center professionals face as they try to reduce energy use include “lack of management priority” (40%), “not clearly understanding the cost/benefit relationship” (36%), “not wanting to risk reliability” (35%), and “lack of communication between IT and facilities” (33%).

Other survey results show that, on average, 60% of the data center electrical load is used to power IT equipment, with approximately 56% of that being used to power servers, 27% for storage, and 19% for network equipment. In addition, 41% of survey respondents said their data center electrical usage is not metered separately from the rest of their facilities. Forty-one percent of respondents also noted that they did not have a dedicated facility for their data center.

Eighty-one percent believe that by 2012, they will need additional data center capacity, despite the fact that 64% have built or upgraded their data center in the last five years.
More than a quarter (27%) of respondents believe that despite consolidation and the use of virtualization, their server inventory will increase throughout the next five years.
The average power density per rack is approximately 6.5 kW, while the maximum power density in any one rack averages approximately 12.9 kW.

Founded in 2003, the DCUG contains approximately 1,000 members; the group meets semi-annually to discuss the most relevant issues affecting the reliability, availability, and cost of operation for mission critical installations. The group’s membership comprises executives with a wide variety of IT and facilities management expertise from an assortment of companies, including board member companies Capital One, Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions, JPMorgan Chase, and Meijer, among others.

FRIDAY FUNNY: Failed Copper Thief, Successful Darwin Awards Candidate?

2008-02-15T09:23:00.005-05:00

Last December, FacilityBlog featured a story that included a new strategy for facility managers who want to protect their properties from copper theft. But in the story that follows, no extra strategies or fancy technologies were necessary. The thief's stupidity foiled his efforts and no copper was stolen.

This past Saturday (2/9/2008), a not-so-bright copper bandit in Central England was zapped while trying to cut through a 11,000 volt power cable with a hacksaw. The event happened near the village of Creswell, where 800 customers were plunged into darkness for a few hours as a result of the botched copper caper. Soaring prices for the precious metal have prompted an epidemic of brazen thefts, resulting in the death of two culprits—and many serious injuries—in Britain alone.

While the fate (or fatality) of Creswell's self destructive criminal is currently unknown, police are checking nearby hospitals for unidentified burn victims. From Reuters:

"The sheer stupidity of cutting through power cables should be glaringly obvious to everyone," said Phil Wilson, customer operations manager with local power company Central Networks.

"At the very least, putting the hacksaw through the cable would have created an almighty bang and the line would have burned for quite a few seconds, showering them with molten copper... We can only assume they left in a great hurry or they were injured and were dragged away by an accomplice." But searches of local hospitals have so far not found the culprit, a spokeswoman for Derbyshire Police said Tuesday.

Click here to find out more about other Darwin Award candidates. For a legitimate Darwin Award winning copper bandit, click this link.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY: Power FROM the People: Sweaty Swedish Commuters Being Put to Work

2008-01-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

As a follow up to last Wednesday's "Weird" post about IKEA, here's another unusual story with a Swedish touch. In Stockholm, executives at Jernhusen AB, a real estate firm that specializes in the management of the country's rail facilities, have proposed a new method of heating for a 13-story building being constructed adjacent to the city's central commuter train station.

In short, the company believes the energy produced by the 250,000+ people who pass through the station on a daily basis could provide approximately 15% of the heating for the building. The system will suck the warm air from the train station through ventilators and heat up water for delivery to the new office building.

Karl Sundholm, project leader with Jernhusen, adds, "All that's needed is a few pumps and some pipes. The station is already equipped with most of the required ventilator systems." The system will cost somewhere between $30,000 to $50,000 to install.

The novel approach was proposed last summer as an off the cuff suggestion when one employee said, "why not do something with all this heat in the station?" during an informal chat over coffee. Little did anyone expect it could become a reality.

This story was originally reported last week by AP on 1/9/08 and Reuters on 1/10/08.

Powered by the Sun

2008-01-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

With so much emphasis on energy conservation, compounded by the cost of traditional copper wiring, one company is offering a not so new solution with an important twist--solar power for municipal services like streetlights, WiFi, and other infrastructure services that tend to depend on vast amounts of cable.

Orlando, FL-based Solis Energy, a provider of continuous outdoor power generation and connectivity, has announced a suite of products that provide customers with easy, immediate access to 100% power necessary to run critical, low wattage devices (typically 100 watts or less), wherever they are located, even where grid-supplied electricity is unavailable. Such critical, low-wattage devices and applications include security/surveillance cameras, WiFi hotspots, WiMax radios, lights, traffic control sensors, and more.

The use of low-wattage electronic devices and applications is exploding as the demand increases for ubiquitous wireless access and as security requirements are heightened globally. With the resulting rapid expansion of WiFi technology and the growing deployment of security technologies and devices, businesses, utilities, and government entities now demand easy, cost-effective ways to reach and guarantee 100% power to run these vital applications.

“Our products provide continuous, reliable outdoor power generation, connectivity, and emergency/secondary power back-up, anywhere it’s needed - including remote locations that don’t have power. Whether on-grid or off-grid, our products are easy to install, requiring no special expertise, and they give our customers the ability to take control of their outdoor power,” said Solis Energy’s Founder and CEO Robert Reynolds.

Independent testing lab Technology Assurance Labs’ Co-Founder Douglas S. Peeples commented, “We find Solis Energy’s solutions to be ‘engineer friendly,’ having been designed by engineers with actual field experience. The lab sees their products as robust, and they will fare well in extreme climates. Engineers should give fair consideration to the product set and not be fooled by its modest cost.”

Solis Energy’s product suite includes the Solar Power Plant SPP Series Solar Generators with Smart Enclosures, Outdoor Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), Streetlight Power Tap Adapters, and soon, devices for multiple DC power or Power over Ethernet (POE) requirements, and Remote Power Monitoring (RPM):

Solar Power Plant SPP Series
The Solar Power Plant SPP Series is a complete platform of solar generators with Smart Enclosures that provide a renewable energy source for powering applications and devices where conventional power doesn’t exist or isn’t viable to install. It is ideally suited for low-wattage requirements and can be easily mounted to a pedestal, side of pole or wall location. The Solar Power Plant SPP Series support today’s enormous Going Green initiatives to conserve the global environment with renewable energy sources, and they make great business sense. The one-time capital expenditure for a Solis Energy Solar Power Plant is often less expensive than having an electrician and/or power company extend power, and it includes integrated brownout and blackout protection.

Outdoor UPS Series
Solis Energy’s AC>DC Outdoor UPS Series is ideal as a secondary power source for routine applications or as battery back-up power for short-term emergency needs to maintain vital applications like wireless communications and video surveillance security systems.

Streetlight Power Tap Adapters
Solis Energy’s Streetlight Power Tap Adaptor provides easy access to 120 vAC power from outdoor lights for running devices and applications like security/surveillance cameras, WiFi hotspots, WiMax radios, traffic monitoring or Solis Energy’s AC>DC Outdoor UPS systems.

Texas School District Enters Performance Contract

2008-01-07T09:27:00.000-05:00

The Clyde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) in Clyde, TX has completed a $792,000 project to lower its utility costs and improve operations, comfort, and efficiency at its facilities. The Energy Solutions division of TAC, an energy services, building automation, and security provider, accomplished the work as a performance contract with the district. TAC guarantees that Clyde CISD will reduce its utility costs by $57,000 annually.

Located in west Texas, the Clyde CISD serves 1,515 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The district’s four schools and administration buildings, which encompass more than 340,000 square feet of space, were struggling with rising energy costs, aging heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, problematic lighting systems, and electricity surges. To remedy these problems, TAC performed an extensive lighting retrofit, installed a direct digital control energy management system (EMS), and conducted power monitoring at the district's facilities. TAC also replaced the HVAC equipment at the junior high school.

“Not only will the Clyde CISD enjoy significant energy savings as a result of the performance contract, but it has also enabled the district to qualify for a rebate from the local utility company,” said L.O. “Dobie” Williams, assistant superintendent of finance for Clyde CISD. “Students and staff at the junior high appreciate improved comfort, and we now have better control of all our facilities because of the new EMS. Furthermore, the power monitoring has quelled concerns of damaging power surges.”

TAC is delivering this project through performance contracting, a turnkey method whereby the design, construction, commissioning and performance measurement are incorporated into one guaranteed fixed price.

Performance contracting projects are funded in a variety of ways, including general obligation bond funds, maintenance reserve funds, and financing secured against guaranteed energy savings. TAC guarantees the amount of savings the projects will achieve and agrees to pay the difference if that amount is not realized. Typically, new, more efficient equipment and upgraded facility automation systems generate the utility savings, as well as maximize energy efficiency and improve occupant comfort.

“The performance contract made it possible for the Clyde CISD to resolve its facility problems using money that was already being spent on utilities,” said Wes McDaniel, vice president of TAC Energy Solutions. “For smaller school systems with limited budgets like Clyde, performance contracting is an excellent method to finance part of facility upgrades without raising taxes or selling bonds. The savings guarantee assures administrators that existing funds will help cover some costs of the improvements, while students and staff can enjoy a better learning and working environment as a result.”

The estimated environmental impact of the Clyde CISD performance contract, based on annual guaranteed energy savings, is equivalent to removing 74 cars from the road for a year or planting 112 acres of trees, according to McDaniel.

Copyright © 2007, TAC, All rights reserved.

Hitting the O&M Notes to Achieve Net Zero Energy Buildings

2007-12-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

In composing net zero energy buildings, operation and maintenance (O&M) are two of the most important chords.

“Zero energy is only in its infancy,” said Richard Rooley, FREng. “Right now, engineers are like a composer, who sets out the notes and the way music is presented. As our knowledge grows, we will learn how to play our instrument to achieve a zero carbon building. But without more guidance on design of net-zero buildings, the music will fail.”

In recent years, high-performance and net zero energy buildings have been identified as performance targets by ASHRAE, federal governments, and other organizations. Much of the work to date toward these targets has focused on design of such buildings. Commissioning and O&M are likely just as critical to achieving actual net-zero energy performance as design.

The role of O&M in achieving net zero energy buildings will be highlighted in a two-part seminar at ASHRAE’s 2008 Winter Meeting, Net Zero Energy Buildings: The Impact of O&M Practices. The seminar will take place from 8-9:30 a.m. and from 9:45-10:45 a.m. on January 22, 2008 at the New York Hilton in New York City.

Kimberly-Clark To Use Methane Gas For Manufacturing

2007-10-23T09:15:00.000-04:00

The company will source the alternative energy from the Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority in Jackson, SC to produce items at its Beech Island facility.

The project will capture methane gas naturally generated within the Three Rivers Regional Landfill and transport it via a 15- mile pipeline to Kimberly-Clark’s manufacturing facility, where it will be used to produce steam for the production of the company's brands, such as Kleenex facial tissue, Cottonelle and Scott bathroom tissue, Huggies diapers and Pull-Ups training pants.

Methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced as organic material decomposes in landfills. As calculated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program, the annual reduction of greenhouse gases attributable to this project has the same effect as removing 41,000 cars from the road, reducing oil consumption by more than 500,000 barrels, or planting nearly 59,000 acres of forest.

“Sustainability is an essential aspect of our business at the Beech Island facility and across Kimberly-Clark,” said Tom Colgrove, senior director of Family Care Product Supply-North America. “As a global company, we recognize that we must contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency, and use of cost-effective renewable and alternative energy sources. Landfill gas will provide our site with a reliable, carbon-neutral source of clean energy at a lower cost than conventional natural gas.”

Kimberly-Clark will purchase the gas under a 15-year supply agreement with the Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority. Siemens Building Technologies is designing and building the landfill gas collection facility and pipeline, with construction underway. When the project becomes operational in April 2008, it will provide 1,800 cubic feet of landfill gas per minute to fuel steam boilers at the Beech Island facility.

“On behalf of Aiken County and the eight other member counties of Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority, we are proud that we are once again on the leading edge of environmental and financial stewardship on behalf of the region's citizens,” said Ronnie Young, Chairman, Aiken County Council. “This project is a fine example of a public-private partnership that is a winner for all involved. We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with Kimberly-Clark and Siemens Building Technologies."

Clark Wiedetz, Alternative Energy general manager, Siemens Building Technologies, said, “At Siemens, we help deliver the means to achieve energy efficiency, strategic operating objectives and environmental improvements to our customers. By capturing the gas and using it to fire its boilers, Kimberly-Clark not only prevents the gas from being vented into the air, they eliminate the need to use more costly fossil fuels. In this project everyone wins—Kimberly Clark, Three Rivers, the community, its taxpayers, and ultimately, the environment.”

Added Colgrove, “The Beech Island facility is an ideal site for this project, since it is one of the most technologically and environmentally advanced mills within Kimberly-Clark and is also the largest manufacturing facility in North America.

“With the start-up of a new process water recycling system this year, we have reduced the use of river water by 60 percent and we are working toward a total reduction of 80 percent, making Beech Island one of the most water efficient K-C facilities in the country. In addition, the facility has nearly eliminated landfilling of its manufacturing waste, as 90 percent of waste material is currently either recycled on site or sent to outside resource recovery facilities.”

Georgia Firm Encourages Employees To Use Green Energy

2007-10-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

Tibs, an engineering and systems integration firm, is offering energy fee reimbursements to Georgia-based employees who sign up for Georgia Power’s Green Energy Program (GEEMP).

Acquired by M.C. Dean, Inc. in 2004, Tibs specializes in the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of complex electrical, electronic, and telecommunication systems for Fortune 1000 companies and public sector clients.

“Tibs is the first company we know to encourage its employees to go green by providing a green energy matching program,” said Mark Tibbetts, Tibs president and general manager. “Under our GEEMP initiative, we are offering each of our 150 employees a 100% company match to their commitments to use green energy, thus doubling the contribution to the Georgia Power program in their names.”

Green Energy is electricity produced in an environmentally friendly manner from the sun, wind, water, biomass or geothermal. Georgia Power’s green energy is sold in 100 kilowatt hour blocks at $4.50 per block to residential customers with a 12 month commitment. The GEEMP offered by Tibs matches up to two blocks per employee.

“We are working hard at Georgia Power to provide our customers with environmentally friendly options,” said Chris Womack, Georgia Power’s executive vice president for external affairs. “The Green Energy Employee Matching Program that Tibs is implementing is an innovative idea that will help us expand our Green Energy program. Hopefully, it is an idea that other companies will copy.”

“Neither Tibs nor M.C. Dean, Inc. has a copyright on GEEMP,” said Tibbetts. “We challenge other businesses to do the same. Being part of the solution that helps our utility partners find cost effective and plentiful alternative energy sources will solve many of the future problems our children could face.”

“In fact, each green energy block that a resident buys is the equivalent of someone not driving 2,000 miles or planting 125 trees,” explained Doug Akin, Georgia Power’s Green Energy product manager.

“We want to make it easy for employees to think green, and giving them this opportunity to participate in our GEEMP aligns nicely with our corporate wide program, ‘Making it Easy to be Green,’” said Tibbetts.

“Being green is habit forming, and we want this habit to become a natural part of the way our employees work and live,” said Tibbetts. ”The cumulative result of GEEMP and our other green efforts is that our employees will think green when working with our clients on engineering and installation services, think green as they manage their own personal habits throughout the day, and influence their friends and family to think green, too.”

Hospitality Chain Will Retrofit 66 California Properties

2007-10-18T09:14:00.001-04:00

Motel 6 has signed on to participate in the Cool Control Plus program offered by Honeywell. The energy efficiency program is designed to reduce electricity use in small hotels and motels throughout the service territory of the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) service territory in northern and central California. (The program is not available in Monterey County, San Benito County, and Santa Cruz County.)

The Cool Control Plus program provides lodging owners with free, energy saving retrofits designed to eliminate wasteful use of air conditioning and heating units. Working on behalf of PG&E, Honeywell will install energy saving retrofits in 7,530 rooms in the 66 Motel 6 properties. Motel 6 has independently installed the Telkonet SmartEnergy (formerly Smart Systems) occupancy sensors and thermostats in 49 properties in California, and teaming with PG&E and Honeywell will bring the total number of rooms with retrofits to 13,440.

“By working with PG&E and Honeywell, Motel 6 now has a solution to a common energy issue in the lodging industry,” said Dan Gilligan, vice president of utilities for Accor North America, the parent company of Motel 6. “Motel 6 will no longer waste electricity in empty rooms and will also cut back on properties’ carbon dioxide emissions; we have calculated that this program will yield a reduction of 10.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year for us. Programs like Cool Control Plus help Motel 6 to better serve its customers and the environment.”

Honeywell won the $4.7 million contract from PG&E in March 2007 to implement an energy efficiency program in small hotels and motels. Many hotels waste electricity because they do not have the technology to turn air conditioning and heating units off when rooms are unoccupied.

Honeywell will install the Telkonet SmartEnergy occupancy sensors in the rooms of participating hotels. The sensors turn off air conditioning and heating equipment when the rooms are vacant. Each year, this installation will cut consumption by an estimated average of 1,100 kilowatt-hours per room, saving hotel owners up to $140 per room. Motel 6 has also chosen Honeywell to update interior and exterior lighting fixtures and cold drink vending machines to further reduce energy consumption at its participating California properties.

“Cool Control Plus enables hotels and motels to quickly cut their energy costs,” said Joe Puishys, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “Conserving energy makes fiscal and environmental sense, and this program makes it automatic, easy to do and free.”

Honeywell began installation in Motel 6 properties in June. The installation is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

APC Partners With Sun Microsystems On Data Centers

2007-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

APC, a provider of integrated critical power and cooling services, has announced it has partnered with Sun Microsystems to design a portion of the company's new energy efficient data center in Santa Clara, CA. Commissioned as part of Sun’s Eco InnovationSM Initative, the rack-based data center leverages a flexible, scalable APC InfraStruXure® InRow™ cooling solution that enables Sun to reduce the cost and environmental impact of maintaining its high density IT systems. In addition, APC’s software solutions enable Sun to monitor environmental disruptions throughout the data center to ensure efficiency and eliminate downtime.

APC provided Sun with 18 InfraStruXure Hot-Aisle Containment Systems for Sun’s new 13,000 square foot software research data center. The 18 hot-aisle containment systems use a total of 450 enclosures, which include 230 APC NetShelter® VX and 220 Sun racks. Each of these hot-aisle containment systems operate at an average of 5 kW of heat load per rack and use APC’s innovative InRow cooling solutions to cool the load. Cooling capacity is pre-piped to enable placement of additional InfraStruXure InRow RC cooling units into each data center system, bringing the overall cooling capacity to a 9 kW average per rack.

While this implementation can sustain an average of 9 kW per rack, much higher density racks can be incorporated with lower density racks to take full advantage of the flexibility of the InfraStruXure Hot-Aisle Containment System. APC partnered with Sun to design and implement the suspended hot-aisle containment systems to work with any type of rack. The design allows Sun to add or subtract racks from each data center system. In addition, an overhead flap system helps to contain the hot aisle air, a requirement due to the differences in enclosure heights.

To provide the essential energy efficiency demanded as part of the Sun Eco Innovation Initiative, while still accommodating future data center growth, Sun also installed three APC 800kW Symmetra® MW uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) across two lab buildings. Testing proved that the Symmetra MW offered Sun up to 97% efficiency and that, over a 10-year period, the possible energy savings to the company could exceed $1 million on the three installed UPS systems. The Symmetra MW scales from 400kW to 1.6MW.

“Given the remarkable pace with which our company’s computing environments are evolving, we are challenged with the need to effectively and efficiently power and cool our data centers,” said Michael Ryan, staff engineer in the WR Global Lab and Data Center Design Services group at Sun Microsystems. “With this challenge comes a commitment on Sun’s part to maintain an energy efficient data center that will address our capacity needs while still reducing environmental impact and costs. APC has created modular, scalable cooling systems and UPS units that fit the flexible and adaptable nature of our next-generation data center demands and enable us to easily accommodate future growth. We greatly appreciate the partnership with APC to design and install its innovative InfraStruXure Hot-Aisle Containment Systems at our Santa Clara campus and look forward to working with the company on upcoming sites.”

To ensure that Sun can consistently distribute power and monitor and maintain conditions within its data center environment, each IT enclosure includes two APC switched Rack Power Distribution Units (PDUs) and an APC Environmental Monitoring Unit. In addition, the data center room is monitored by APC Netbotz surveillance cameras that tie into APC’s InfraStruXure Central management platform.

“The new Sun Microsystems data center in Santa Clara is an ideal example of the kind of next-generation architecture that can and will help alleviate some of the environmental and economic strain that today’s high density computing is placing on the industry,” said Rob Johnson, senior vice president and president of North America at APC-MGE. “We are honored to have been selected for the task of helping build this software data center and believe we have designed and installed a solution that is highly efficient, extremely reliable and will support the evolving needs of Sun well into the future.”

Findings On Parallel Fan Efficiency Released

2007-09-18T09:15:00.001-04:00

The study from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and co-funded by the Air-Conditioning Engineers and Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI), finds that despite common perception, parallel fan-powered air-terminal units, which are used to distribute cooled or heated air in commercial building cooling systems, may not be more efficient than series fans.

As the release states:
When designing a cooling system, building designers can choose between either a series or parallel configuration for a building’s fan-powered, air-terminal unit. Since parallel fans run intermittently while a building is occupied, this configuration has been thought to be more efficient than series fans, which run continuously during the work day.

In the study, tests conducted by investigators at Texas A&M University’s Energy Systems Laboratory, found considerable air leakage from parallel fans’ back-draft dampers and terminal box seams, greatly reducing their efficiency. Leak rates for tested parallel fan terminals were found to be, on average, between 10% to 20%, and in some cases higher than 30%. These leaks reduced the airflow from the central air handler and caused the air to bypass the room to be conditioned, resulting in more energy needed to move more air to maintain comfort in the conditioned space.

The study showed that when no leakage occurs, the parallel fan terminals are more efficient, consuming 17% less energy than series fan terminals; however, tests showed that when leaks are present, series fans appear to outperform parallel fans. When a 20% leakage rate was introduced, the series terminal unit outperformed the parallel unit and used 5.5% less energy.

“For manufacturers and building design engineers, this research provides new insights into the magnitude of air leakage in parallel fan powered terminals and its impact on system operation and overall energy consumption,” said Karim Amrane, vice president of Policy and Technology for the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, Inc. (ARI). “It also serves as a useful reference in prompting changes in design practices to provide more energy efficient building.”

To read the final report, “ASHRAE 1292-RP: Comparison of the Total Energy Consumption of Series vs. Parallel Fan Powered VAV Terminal Units Phase I, Development of Models for Series and Parallel Fan Variable Air Volume Terminal Units,” visit:
http://www.arti-research.org/research/completed/exec-summaries/20090-es.pdf

About ARTI
The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit corporation established in 1989 by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, Inc. (ARI) to undertake pre-competitive scientific research related to heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration. ARI is a not-for-profit trade association representing manufacturers of more than 90% of North American-produced central air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment.

Architecture 2030 Places Ad Addressing Coal

2007-09-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

The full page ad in this week's The New Yorker magazine calls attention to the carbon dioxide emissions of coal-fired power plants. For more information about the efforts of Architecture 2030, visit www.architecture2030.org.

The text of the ad reads:

GLOBAL WARMING

Think You’re Making a Difference?
Think Again.

There are 151 new conventional coal-fired power plants in various stages of development in the US today.

HOME DEPOT
Home Depot is funding the planting of 300,000 trees in cities across the US to help absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions...
The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized (500 MW) coal-fired power plant, in just 10 days of operation, will negate this entire effort.

WAL-MART
Wal-Mart is investing a half billion dollars to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of their existing buildings by 20% over the next seven years. If every Wal-Mart Supercenter met this target…
The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just one month of operation each year, would negate this entire effort.

CALIFORNIA
California passed legislation to cut CO2 emissions in new cars by 25% and in SUVs by 18%, starting in 2009. If every car and SUV sold in California in 2009 met this standard…
The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just eight months of operation each year, would negate this entire effort.

EVERY HOUSEHOLD
If every household in the US changed a 60-watt incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent…
The CO2 emissions from just two medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate this entire effort.

EDUCATION
The Campus Climate Challenge calls for all college campuses in the US to reduce their CO2 emissions to zero. If every college campus building in the US met this challenge…
The CO2 emissions from just four medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate this entire effort.

NY, ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, PA, NJ, DL, MD
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cooperative effort by 11 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce their CO2 emissions to 1990 levels by 2014...
The CO2 emissions from just 13 medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year will negate this entire effort.

CONGRESS
Congress is considering many climate change bills this year to reduce US carbon dioxide emissions...
The CO2 emissions from any new coal-fired power plants work to negate these efforts.

THERE IS A ‘SILVER BULLET’ FOR SOLVING GLOBAL WARMING…
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
NO MORE COAL
Without coal, all the positive efforts underway can make a difference.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Over an 11-year period (1973–1983), the US built approx. 30 billion square feet of new buildings, added approx. 35 million new vehicles and increased real GDP by one trillion dollars while decreasing its energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
We don’t need coal, we have what we need: efficient design and proven technologies.

Today, buildings use 76% of all the energy produced at coal plants.

By implementing The 2030 Challenge* to reduce building energy use by a minimum of 50%, we negate the need for new coal plants.

Make a Difference: Protect Your Efforts.

* Issued by:  2030, Inc./Architecture 2030 • The 2030 Research Center • www.architecture2030.org

NOTES
1. Emissions Source: US Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2005.
2. Building Sector Data Source: 2006 Building Energy Databook, EIA.
3. 1 Quad (quadrillion Btu) = approx. 60.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMT CO2).
4. One medium-sized (500 MW) conventional coal-fired plant emits approx. 3.2 to 4.0 MMT CO2 a year.
5. One billion square feet of existing building area in the US is responsible for approx. 7.68 MMT CO2/yr.
6. Home Depot: Home Depot has funded the planting of 300,000 trees in cities across the US. Each tree will absorb and store approx. one-third of a ton of CO2 over its lifetime.
7. Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart, the largest “private” purchaser of electricity in the world is investing half a billion dollars to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their existing buildings by 20% over the next 7 years. "As one of the largest companies in the world, with an expanding global presence, environmental problems are our problems," said CEO Lee Scott.
a. Total US building area for all Wal-Mart Supercenters: 437,019,000 square feet (sf).
b. Total US building area for all Wal-Mart stores: 630,494,000 square feet (sf).
8. Every Household:
a. There are 110 million households in the US today.
b. Changing one 60-watt incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent saves approx. 156.6 pounds of CO2 each year.
9. Education:
a. The Campus Climate Challenge, a growing student movement in the US, states that global warming “is our problem, and it’s up to us to solve it, starting right here on campus, right now.”
b. Assumption: 3.5 billion sf of existing college campus building in the US.
10. California:
a. California, which makes up over 10% of the country’s new vehicle market, passed legislation to cut GHG emissions in new cars by 25% and in SUVs by 18%, starting in 2009.
b. A 25% reduction of emissions in cars and 18% in SUV’s sold in California in 2009 is approx. 2.3 MMT CO2.
11. ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY, PA, NJ, DL, MD: The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a ‘cap and trade’ cooperative effort by eleven Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2014.
a. Carbon dioxide emissions in 1990 equal 842.04 MMT CO2.
b. Carbon Dioxide emissions in 2003 equal 889.42 MMT CO2.
12. Real GDP (Year 2000 dollars) in 1973 was $4.341 trillion and in 1983, $5.423 trillion. (Source: Economic History Services)
13. Number of vehicles in operation in 1973 was 111.217 million and in 1983, 147.104 million. (Source: US Energy Information Administration)
14. From 1973 to 1983 approx. 19.7 billion square feet (bsf) of residential building and 13.3 bsf of commercial building were built. (Source: US Census, EIA)
15. Total US energy consumption in 1973 was 75.7 quadrillion btu (Qbtu) and in 1983, 73.0 Qbtu. (Source: EIA)
16. Total US CO2 emissions in 1973 was 4685 million metric tons (MMT) and in 1983, 4331 MMT. (Source: EIA)

CB Richard Ellis Adopts BOMA's BEEP Program

2007-09-06T09:28:00.000-04:00

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Foundation recently announced that CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. has adopted the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) to help reduce energy consumption at its managed properties through increased employee education and training. The adoption of BEEP is part of CBRE's recently announced environmental stewardship initiative.

The BEEP program, which offers energy savings solutions through a series of seminars, was developed by the BOMA Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR® program. BEEP teaches commercial real estate professionals how to reduce energy consumption and costs with proven no- and low-cost strategies for optimizing equipment, people and practices.

"The BEEP program is the most comprehensible and achievable energy efficiency program we reviewed," said Dave Pogue, Senior Managing Director, Asset Services, CB Richard Ellis. "At its core is the implementation of the EPA ENERGY STAR program, which we have been utilizing throughout our U.S. office building portfolio. It was a natural progression to reach out to the BOMA Foundation for the broader implementation of their training system."

Over the course of the next three years, CBRE intends to make the BEEP material broadly available throughout the CBRE system and will seek to train more than 500 employees, including real estate managers overseeing all major office assets totaling more than 125 million square feet.

CBRE will collaborate with the BOMA Foundation on the training platform. "We are delighted and proud that the BEEP curriculum will be part of the bold energy reduction initiative set forth by CB Richard Ellis," said Gary Wood, RPA, chair of the BOMA Foundation. "CBRE is among a select group of companies and organizations leading the industry on the energy and environment front, and the BEEP program, will help them reach their efficiency goals. The strategies taught in the BEEP courses can help reduce commercial real estate's energy usage by as much as 30%, which is the equivalent of removing 120 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from the air or 12 million cars from the road."

Paint Fumes To Help Power Ford Auto Plant

2007-09-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

The auto manufacturer plans to install a 300 kilowatt fuel cell, which will be mainly powered by paint fumes.

Ford Motor Co. is purchasing a DFC300MA™ fuel cell from FuelCell Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of Ultra-Clean power plants using a variety of fuels for commercial, industrial, and utility customers. The practice is being put in place at Ford's Oakville, Ontario facility to reduce paint solvents emanating from automotive painting operations by turning fumes from those compounds into 300 kilowatts (kW) of green electricity.

The Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) unit can transform into fuel the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that emanate from enamel base paints and clear coat finishes used in manufacturing.

Ford’s Oakville painting process produces approximately 200 lbs/hour of VOCs--enough to fully power the DFC300MA unit. The system will be designed to switch over to another fuel source automatically and continue generating clean electricity if for any reason insufficient VOCs are available.

The DFC power plant is being funded by Industry Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to assist in deploying alternative energy sources. The unit deployment in Oakville will be supported through the combined efforts of FuelCell Energy and its distribution partner, Enbridge, Inc.. Installation and integration of the power plant with Ford’s manufacturing facility will be managed by Arencibia Associates of Coopersburg, PA.

“By using the end-products of enamel and clear coat operations, we are eliminating the exhaust of thousands of tons of nitrous and sulfur oxides as well as CO2--a major greenhouse gas,” said Andrew Skok, executive director, Strategic Marketing for FuelCell Energy. “As this application shows, the fuel flexibility of our DFC300MA opens up an entirely new, very large market for us.”

The DFC300MA unit is expected to be started up early in 2008 and over time, Ford and Detroit Edison, which jointly own the rights to the paint fume clean up and separation technology, could roll the system out to Ford’s other plants, or license it to other manufacturers whose operations include similar uses of paint compounds.

City Of Raleigh, NC Implementing LED Lighting

2007-08-31T09:12:00.000-04:00

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, a world leader in light-emitting diode (LED) technology, and the Lighting Science Group Corporation a leading designer and manufacturer of super energy-efficient LED lighting solutions, today announced that OSRAM Opto Semiconductors' Golden DRAGON® lighting product will be utilized in low bay fixtures from Lighting Science for a special lighting project for the City of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Lighting Science Group's Optimized Digital Lighting® (ODL®) low bay fixtures, with OSRAM Golden DRAGON LEDs, will replace 12 metal halide lamps that are currently being used by the City of Raleigh to illuminate a pedestrian tunnel that runs from the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex to the municipal parking garage behind the complex. These fixtures will offer a direct alternative to metal halide or high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. Each Lighting Science ODL low bay fixture will contain 112 OSRAM Golden DRAGON LED light sources.

"OSRAM is pleased to be involved in the lighting project for the City of Raleigh, and to be part of another successful collaboration with Lighting Science Group," Tom Shottes, president and CEO, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc., said. "With Lighting Science's fixtures, we are able to extend the use of OSRAM's advanced LED technology in its Golden DRAGON product into the industrial and commercial lighting markets."

"The collaboration between OSRAM and Lighting Science is a timely response to escalating concerns over rising energy costs and environmental quality," said Ron Lusk, Lighting Science Group's chairman and CEO. "This lighting project with OSRAM Opto Semiconductors enables us to bring energy-efficient lighting to the City of Raleigh, NC, and hopefully expand market adoption of LED lighting to other cities around the world."

The City of Raleigh is at the forefront of LED adoption into lighting applications which include garage and parking lot lights, tunnel lighting, streetlights, architectural and accent lighting, portable lighting, and pedestrian walkway lighting. The City expects to complete this LED lighting project by this fall.

Incandescent Lighting: Will "Ban the Bulb" Take Hold?

2007-08-27T07:17:00.000-04:00

Four-billion U.S. light sockets are fitted with "general-service" incandescent lamps (light bulbs), direct descendants of the lamp invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879. By today's standards, incandescent lamps waste resources. They generate light inefficiently and thus use far more energy than otherwise needed, also causing excess greenhouse-gas emissions associated with the fossil-fuel-fired generation of electricity. General service incandescent lamps are comparatively short-lived, too, meaning more manufacturing facilities, raw materials, and energy must be used to provide equivalent lighting sources for a given period of time.

Nonetheless, American consumers still seem to far prefer incandescent lamps to the alternatives, purchasing almost 5.5 million of them every day. Is all that about to change? "Probably so," says National Lighting Bureau Chairman Robert W. "Rob" Colgan, Jr., the National Electrical Contractors Association's (NECA's) executive director of marketing, "although not as quickly as some would prefer."

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the 27-nation European Union have initiated efforts designed principally to phase out most general service incandescent lamps. Several U.S. states are doing so as well, including California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, among others, with an eye toward requiring consumers to convert to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

CFLs are four or more times as efficient as incandescent lamps and last about 10 times longer. Despite these benefits, Americans purchased fewer than 100 million CFLs in 2006. Although the National Lighting Bureau projects that U.S. CFL sales will increase about 20% in 2007, to 120 million, that number still is a far cry from the two billion general-service incandescent light bulbs Americans are likely to buy in the same period.

"Old habits die hard," Colgan said, "and this old habit is mixed with tradition, nostalgia, and aesthetics. People love the light produced by incandescent bulbs and they love the simplicity. But compact fluorescent lamps are also pretty simple and they also produce good light. They're convenient, too. We already have compact fluorescents that can be dimmed about as easily as incandescent lamps and that can function well outdoors at temperature extremes. True, CFLs can't be used for every application incandescent bulbs are used for - in oven lighting, for example - but they can be used far more than they currently are. They give every American an easy opportunity to do something to help improve the environment and save money. In fact, CFLs are so much better than incandescent lamps, they should sell themselves; a ban shouldn't be necessary."

Americans eventually may have no choice but to convert, and sooner rather than later, if new laws are enacted. Nonetheless, Colgan believes that a better course of action may be encouraging efficiency through education rather than establishing a ban, which is what some proposed new federal statutes would do.

"There's no question that conventional incandescent bulbs are relatively inefficient, but there are some lighting applications where they can get the job done for the fewest watts, as when highly directional lighting is required," Colgan said. "We also need to realize that new types of incandescents under development could be almost as efficient as CFLs, and - reportedly - they'll start entering the marketplace within the next two or three years."
]
He went on to note that "the companies that manufacture light bulbs and tubes - America's lamp manufacturers - have made remarkable strides over the years, and we expect they will continue to do so. More stringent efficiency requirements will undoubtedly encourage more companies to produce more qualifying products and to develop whole new forms of lighting, including light-emitting diodes [LEDs] that are integrated into wallpaper. The savings afforded by energy-efficient light sources will grow as the price of energy increases."

Colgan commented that "banning a product is a harsh approach that is bound to generate opposition and controversy. In our opinion, it may be wiser to simply establish efficiency minimums and move forward from there. That approach will require more time, however, and some people are understandably impatient." He noted that, if America could wave a magic wand and instantly replace all installed incandescent lamps with compact fluorescents, "we'd reduce carbon emissions by more than 150 million tons a year, we'd make 80 new coal-fired power plants unnecessary, and we'd save about $18 billion annually."

Colgan said that the "magic wand is called High-Benefit Lighting(R)," a generic term coined by the National Lighting Bureau to connote highly efficient lighting systems designed principally to help public- and private-sector organizations save energy and money through optimization of human performance. As explained by Colgan, "Light is for people, and all light is not the same. The kind of lighting we use to light our factories should depend on the kind of processes involved. And the lighting we use for factories is not the lighting we need in offices. By using proven techniques to design lighting systems that complement the processes, places, and people involved, we can get better light from less light. Better light helps people perform faster with fewer errors, meaning we consume less energy - human and otherwise - to get the same job done. The money that can be saved from just modest productivity improvements, from enhanced safety and security, and from more retail sales justifies an investment in good lighting. A proposed change that saves $500 worth of energy a year may not be implemented if it cost $2,000. But it would be implemented if it could provide an annual $5,000 productivity benefit on top of the energy savings."

Many such opportunities exist, Colgan said, and not just because of the new equipment on the market. "In many instances, we have work being performed in spaces whose lighting systems were designed for different types of visual tasks, or for tasks performed at different locations or with different equipment. New, High-Benefit Lighting can provide better-quality light and do so with less energy being consumed, fewer dollars being expended, and less greenhouse-gas being emitted to the atmosphere."

Company Contributes To Habitat For Humanity

2007-08-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

Several homes are in the process of being built thanks to Schneider Electric. As part of its “Mission for the Community,” the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division unveiled its plan earlier this year to fund nine Habitat for Humanity houses throughout North America. Funded by the Schneider Electric/Square D® Foundation, the house sponsorships cover the cost of the land, infrastructure, and materials to build the Habitat homes. They also give Schneider Electric employees the opportunity to volunteer on the builds.

“The involvement of our people with Habitat for Humanity is a very important part of our longstanding partnership,” said Peggy Gann, senior vice president, human resources and administration. “The nine builds are in addition to one day Habitat build events, also sponsored by the Foundation, organized by our people throughout North America working with their local Habitat affiliates.”

As a National Partner and a Cornerstone Society member of Habitat’s “More Than Houses” campaign, Schneider Electric has donated almost $6 million in value of Square D® residential electrical equipment for Habitat homes built in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In 2006, Schneider Electric renewed its commitment by pledging to donate $7 million in Square D residential electrical equipment over the next four and a half years.

The locations for the nine Schneider Electric/Habitat for Humanity builds are Boston, MA; Columbia, MO; Edmonton, Canada; Lincoln, NÉ; Mechanicsburg, PA; Nashville, TN; Raleigh, NC; Salisbury, NC; and Mexico. Many of the homes are now underway with construction in Lincoln, Nashville, Raleigh, and Salisbury to begin this fall.

“We are thankful for the support Schneider Electric has given Habitat for Humanity, not only in product donations to outfit every Habitat house with Square D equipment but in the hundreds of hours its employees give of their time,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International.

DOE To Tackle Its Energy Intensity

2007-08-17T09:21:00.000-04:00

Secretary Samuel W. Bodman recently announced the launch of the Transformational Energy Action Management (TEAM) Initiative, a Department-wide effort aimed at reducing energy intensity across the nationwide U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex by 30%. The TEAM Initiative aims to meet or exceed the aggressive goals for increasing energy efficiency throughout the federal government. The reductions across the DOE complex is expected to save approximately $90 million per year, after projects are paid for.

Bodman made the announcement while delivering closing remarks at the 10th GovEnergy 2007 conference in New Orleans, which brings together federal facility managers to discuss and implement energy management strategies.

“As the federal government’s lead agency on energy management, DOE will have raised the bar with TEAM Initiative,” Secretary Bodman said. “Over the next few years, DOE will leverage every possible public and private resource to improve our energy performance and reduce our energy intensity. By fundamentally transforming the way the Department manages energy use in its facilities, not only will we be able to achieve the President’s ambitious goals for increasing efficiency, but it will also allow for a cleaner, leaner and more efficient federal government.”

This Initiative meets or exceeds energy efficiency goals mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) as well as President Bush’s Executive Order (EO #13423), announced in January 2007, which directed federal agencies to: reduce energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions; substantially increase use and efficiency of renewable energy technologies; adopt sustainable design practices; and reduce petroleum use in federal fleets. This Initiative adopts an even more ambitious timeline and targets changes that will have an impact on DOE’s energy use as early as next year.

Specifically, TEAM Initiative requires that:
* By 2008, DOE have in place executable plans for all facilities to reduce energy intensity by 30%;
* The Department maximize installation of secure, on-site renewable energy projects at all DOE sites and/or optimize affordable purchases of renewable electricity;
* DOE’s entire Alternative Fuel Vehicles fleet operate exclusively on clean, alternative fuels;
* DOE benchmark and monitor water use and implement a plan--and begin saving water-- by Fiscal Year 2008 to reduce consumption by at least 16%.
* New DOE construction, major renovations, and 15% of existing federal capital asset building inventory incorporate the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings, ultimately aspiring to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, or comparable certification;
* The Department use Environmental Management Systems to ensure implementation of, and provide the supporting framework for, these activities.

By setting aggressive goals and timelines, and streamlining contract approval for change, and increasing use of private financing to make improvements, TEAM Initiative will end DOE’s incremental approach to saving energy. To achieve the goals, the Department will expand its use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs), Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs) provided by utility companies. ESPCs and UESCs are contracting vehicles that allow agencies to complete needed energy savings projects for their facilities. ESCOs and utilities provide the private financing required for equipment purchases and process enhancements and are subsequently repaid from the revenues generated from energy cost savings resulting from improved energy efficiency.

Many of the measures implemented will require up-front investments, such as advanced lighting, heating, and air conditioning. The Department anticipates it will use some appropriated funds for these energy saving projects, however it will maximize use of alternative financing tools, such as ESPCs and UESCs to fund major portions of TEAM Initiative.

The federal government is largest single user of energy in the United States, and DOE is the second largest energy consumer of all civilian federal agencies. The Department’s facilities comprise of approximately 110 million square feet, and include more than 14,000 vehicles in its fleet. DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program provides support for federal agencies to save energy, as well as improve facilities through ESPCs and UESCs. Since 2001, ESPCs and UESCs enabled through DOE programs have financed over $851 million in energy improvements at federal facilities.

Pearl Island of Qatar To Be Cooled By Johnson Controls

2007-08-15T09:21:00.000-04:00

The order for 46 water-cooled chiller units is the largest single order for chiller units in the company's history. Aiming to maintain the island’s reputation as a place of world-renowned luxury, Qatar Cool, the district cooling authority for the Pearl Island of Qatar in the Arabian Gulf, recently announced it has signed a contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. to receive the water-cooled chiller units with an option to purchase six more.

Each Johnson Controls YORK centrifugal chiller unit is 26 feet long, 11 feet wide and 14 feet tall, and weighs 2,500 tons. The units will be shipped from San Antonio, TX to Qatar, and installed in the world’s largest district cooling chiller plant. The facility will supply 130,000 tons of chilled water daily to cool more than 15,000 residential and commercial units, providing comfort to the 40,000 Pearl-Qatar residents. The manmade island covers 985 acres of reclaimed land offshore the Arabian Peninsula state of Qatar.

“It is such an honor to have been selected to design and manufacture products that will contribute to this incredibly unique property,” said Ray Ring, regional manager, Johnson Controls. “The plant into which these units will be installed will not be duplicated and is certain to become a global landmark. Our ability to meet the difficult demands of this site demonstrates the technical innovation and expertise we bring to every job.”

Ring said a number of factors led to selection of Johnson Controls for the project:
* Environmental sensitivity. Qatar recently enacted a law to control, reduce and phase out its import of ozone depleting substances. The chillers are the most energy efficient in the industry and use environmentally friendly and non-ozone-depleting HFC-134a refrigerant.

* Product durability under harsh conditions. The chillers will operate at extreme conditions, where entering condenser water temperatures can reach up to 97 degrees Fahrenheit at 122F ambient

* Reduced operating costs. This chiller requires half of the electrical switch gear normally needed in a plant of this type. Johnson Controls also is installing its Metasys® building automation system to ensure the cooling plant operates at maximum efficiency.

The chilled water will be distributed through an underground network of 10-foot tall pipes laid out across the island. Delivery and installation of the chiller units is expected to begin in December 2007 and continue through May 2008.

Ceiling Fans Can Be Part Of Energy Plan

2007-08-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has partnered with ceiling fan and lighting manufacturers to promote the benefits of energy efficient ceiling fan and lighting combinations. These products can be 50% more efficient than conventional products and can also reduce yearly energy bills by $15 to $20 per unit.

These savings become increasingly significant when combined with the additional air conditioning and/or heating savings gained when the fan is used regularly and properly.

The Monte Carlo Fan Company, which has offers ENERGY STAR qualified products, notes that these qualified ceiling fans move air up to 20% more efficiently. The company also notes that when selecting ceiling fans few users realize the similar energy savings that can be reaped during the cooler months of the year by setting the fan to run in the reverse motion (if the option is offered). Consequently, this movement produces an updraft which forces air near the ceiling to circulate downward into living areas and create a warmer living environment.

Monte Carlo offers several additional tips for selecting an energy efficient ceiling fan and enhancing the comfort of most home and work areas:
* To save energy and reduce costly energy bills turn the fan off when you are not in the room. A ceiling fan doesn’t lower or raise a room’s temperature. It only makes the user feel cooler or warmer by circulating the air throughout the room

* For the best results, ceiling fans should be installed, or mounted, in the middle of the room and at least 7 feet above the floor and 18 inches from the walls. If ceiling height allows, install the fan 8 - 9 feet above the floor for optimal airflow

* Make sure you select the right sized fan for the room. For example, a 52" to 56" ceiling fan would work best in a 15' x 15' room, while a 38" to 48" unit would be suitable for a 10' x 10' setting

* Before placing a ceiling fan in a damp or humid area ensure the unit is UL listed with a “damp” rating for areas such as bathrooms or UL listed with a “wet” rating for settings that may come in direct contact with water, like on an exposed patio or front porch. These fans include features such as sealed/moisture resistant motors, rust resistant housings, stainless steel hardware, and all weather blades.

Update: LEED Revisions For Existing Buildings Open For Comment

2007-08-09T15:05:00.000-04:00

Late last week, the U.S. Green Building Council put out the revised version of LEED for Existing Buildings (EB). The new version is out for public comment until September 3 at 9amPST.

At face value, there is one major change... the revised rating system has a new name: LEED for High Performance Operations. Instead of the current 1.0, 2.0 naming convention, the revise also references the version of the rating system by year (i.e. v2008) Going deeper, there have been notable changes to various prerequisites and credits.

Those who are not already registered on the USGBC can do so fairly quickly and proceed to submit their comments.

In describing the revisions, the USGBC states:
The new draft is intended to meet the unique needs of whole building operations and maintenance. LEED for High Performance Operations addresses aspects of facility management such as site maintenance, green cleaning, alternative transportation, alternative energy and water conservation.

So take a look at the new rating system, and let the USGBC know what you think. Go to www.usgbc.org, and click on "LEED News."