Energy: Reduce Your Building's Use!
MAKING IMPROVEMENTS
Save Energy with ENERGY STAR
The ENERGY STAR program offers an online training on low-cost measures that can achieve substantial energy savings, Commercial Real Estate: Best Practices to Improve Energy Performance, every other month. This training presents a staged program of improvements, from operations and maintenance changes, to influencing occupants' behavior, lighting upgrades, controls, and equipment upgrades. Information is provided about energy savings of each measure, as well as examples of buildings that have implemented these measures.See the online calendar to register for webinar trainings. You can also access pre-recorded trainings at any time by clicking the Recorded Sessions link, or you can view the slides used in the presentation.
Building equipment upgrades
Did you know that building commissioning, a process by which you receive documented confirmation that your building systems are working properly, can reduce your energy use by 10%? This is a great first step in helping you achieve the goals of the Green Office Challenge.You can decrease your energy use by ensuring that your building systems are functioning properly, by installing energy efficient equipment and controls, and ensuring that the building and building equipment are properly insulated.
Lighting
Significant energy savings can be found in your building's lighting systems.- Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) for overhead lighting. This can save you about 75% on your lighting costs, improve the quality of the lighting and reduce your air conditioning load. As a bonus, CFLs last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lights, thus reducing maintenance costs.
- Ensure that all light fixtures are ENERGY STAR certified.
- Use natural lighting or daylighting when possible. Be sure that lighting levels meet safety codes and ADA requirements.
- Ensure that ENERGY STAR certified lighting controls are installed in all tenant and common spaces (including supply closets, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways).
- Turn off all non-safety related lights after the work day. Resume lighting at the beginning of the next business day. Consider installing motion sensors or timed lighting, and be sure that lighting levels meet safety codes and ADA requirements. Installing motion sensors is an inexpensive energy and cost reduction measure.
- Install LED exist signs. ENERGY STAR provides information on this topic.
- Coordinate with vending machine companies to turn off advertising lights during non-business hours, or to use energy efficient lights or vending misers.
Another way to decrease energy, is by removing the middle bulb from each fluorescent light fixture (electric ballast only) that has three bulbs. Be sure that lighting levels meet safety codes and ADA requirements.
When it's time to dispose of the CFL bulbs and fixture ballasts, it is important that you return them to the supplier or give them to your waste hauler to properly dispose of them. CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury and can cause significant environmental degradation if placed in landfills.
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system
HVAC systems consume a lot of energy. The U.S. EPA suggests that you conduct an inventory of your HVAC system and consider changing it if:- Temperatures in rooms throughout the building differ greatly.
- Your building has humidity problems or excessive dust.
- Your cooling system is noisy when operating.
- Your equipment needs frequent repairs.
- Your energy usage is increasing compared to historic usage levels.
- Your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 12 years old.
- Your furnace or boiler is more than 15 years old.
- You leave your thermostat set at one constant temperature.
As a Property Manager, you will want to complete the following system maintenance checklist twice a year, preferably once in the fall and once in the spring:
- Check thermostat settings. Visit the ENERGY STAR website for information about programmable thermostats and how to use them.
- Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors to ensure that they are operating within manufacturer's specifications.
- Lubricate equipment according to the manufacturer's recommendation.
- Ensure that condensation drains freely from your central air conditioner, furnace and/or hear pump when in cooling mode.
- Check system controls to ensure proper and safe operation.
- Regularly inspect, clean or change air filter in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Dirty filters waste energy and shorten equipment service life.
- If you have a gas fired boiler you should have the burner calibrated for optimum efficiency.
To make sure that your HVAC system is as energy efficient as it can be, consider conducting a system-specific maintenance checklist:
- Heating-specific checklist: check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger.
- Cooling-specific checklist: clean indoor and outdoor coil before warm weather starts; check your central air conditioner's refrigerant charge and adjust it if necessary to make sure it meets manufacturer specifications; clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow.
Ducts
Sealing air leaks before you begin the insulation process is imperative. Up to 20% of the air that travels through ducts is lost due to leaks, holes and poorly connected duct sections. To seal ducts, follow these steps:- Check, measure, and identify leaks with diagnostic equipment.
- Repair or replace damaged, disconnect or undersized ducts. Straighten out flexible ducts that are tangled or crushed.
- Seal leaks and connections with mastic, metal tape or an aerosol-based sealant. Duct tape should never be used because it will not last.
- Test airflow after sealing ducts.
- Seal all registers and grills tightly to the ducts.
- Insulate ducts in unconditioned areas, like attics and crawl spaces with duct insulation that carries an R-value of 6 or higher.
- Include a new filter as part of any duct system improvements.
- Conduct a combustion safety text after ducts are sealed to ensure there is no back drafting of gas or oil-burning appliances.
For a step by step process of how to seal your ducts, visit the ENERGY STAR website.
Green Tips to maximize your HVAC system's energy efficiency:
- Check air filters monthly and change them when they look dirty. A dirty air filter means the air filter is at the end of its functional life.
- Make sure your equipment is the right size! Oversize HVAC unit(s) mean increased energy costs and equipment wear.
- Consider installing a variable frequency drive for fan and pump motors. These devices vary the rate at which the motors operate based on demand rather than one constant speed, providing a significant savings opportunity.
- Visit ENERGY STAR to learn about light commercial HVAC systems.
- Visit the Air Conditioning Contractors of America's website to learn about the installation of central HVAC system design.
Insulation
Insulating your building means instant energy savings! After all ducts are sealed, it's time to insulate all:- Hot water piping and tanks
- Exterior walls
- Foundations
- Ceilings
Roofing
According to ENERGY STAR, Americans spend about $40 billion annually to air condition buildings- one-sixth of all electricity produced in this country. Insulating your roof with ENERGY STAR products can decrease the temperature of your roof by up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while simultaneously reducing the amount of air conditioning required.Use the Roofing Comparison Calculator to estimate how much energy and money you can save by installing an ENERGY STAR labeled roof product on your building. The slope, reflectivity, and durability of your building's roof impact the amount of energy saved or lost through the roof.
Green roofs serve as a layer of insulation on a roof, decreasing the amount of energy lost through the roof, while decreasing the amount of storm water runoff. For a list of green roof providers in North America, visit the City of Chicago's website.
Windows
If after conducting the blower door test you determine that energy is lost through the windows, contact a local tradesperson to fix and insulate the windows. Contact the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance for the names of qualified local contractors.Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified windows if you must replace the windows. Visit the ENERGY STAR website to find special offers, as well as stores and manufactures that sell ENERGY STAR windows.
Don't forget to inspect and maintain/upgrade solar window film to minimize solar load.