GO GREEN

This article was written by Houston Neal of Software Advice for Electricians.

Earlier this year we reported on the “coming renaissance of electrical contracting,” an upward trend of electricians transitioning into energy contractors to keep up with demand for green construction. A fast growing segment of this green construction market is building retrofits, or energy efficient renovations. Numerous reports forecast retrofitting to become a multi-billion dollar market over the next three to four years:

• McGraw Hill estimates it will become a $10 to $15 billion market by 2014;
• Pike Research puts it at $6.6 billion annually; and,
• SBI Energy predicts green renovations will make up 13% of the total renovation market by 2015.

To help electricians segue into their new role and win a piece of the burgeoning market, we decided to write this follow-up article. Here we present five green retrofits electricians should pitch to drive business. While our guide is intended for electricians, it can be used by any homeowner or building owner looking to adopt sustainable building practices.

1) Relamping
Out of all the green retrofit projects, lighting retrofits present the biggest opportunity for electricians. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), lighting accounts for more than 40 perent of the commercial sector’s electricity consumption. Not to mention, it makes up nearly 20 percent of all electricity used in the United States (including residential and industrial spaces). This chart from the ACEEE illustrates how much lighting energy is used by different types of buildings.

These numbers can be significantly reduced by replacing antiquated lighting systems with an energy efficient substitute. Take for example, light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs are much more efficient than incandescent lamps – LEDs use 2 to 10 watts of electricity while incandescent lamps use 60 watts – and they are close to becoming a replacement for fluorescent tubes (see: Are LED Tubes Ready for Prime Time?).

In addition to reduced energy consumption and operating costs, there are other carrots and sticks motivating building owners to retrofit their lighting systems. Utility companies and other organizations offer incentives (here’s a handy look-up tool for California residents), while new legislation requires buildings to use energy-efficient lighting.

Finally, factor in the 2.2 million buildings that are candidates for lighting-system upgrades, and you’ve got a lot of low hanging fruit in the market.

2) Daylight Harvesting
Daylight harvesting is the practice of reducing artificial light in a room when sunlight is available. According to a study performed by the NRC Institute for Research in Construction, it can reduce lighting energy costs by 20 to 60%. Call it “upselling” if you will, but electricians should pitch this retrofit to customers that are already relamping their homes and buildings.

A daylight harvesting system uses photosensors to detect light levels in a room. As sunlight becomes available, the artificial lighting will be reduced. When it’s cloudy or becomes dark outside, the level of artificial lighting will increase.

Three other lighting controls worth mentioning here are dimmers, motion sensors and timers. These energy savers have been around for years, but they are just as relevant today as when they first came out. Homeowners looking for simple ways to reduce energy can install any of the above. For more information, check out the US Department of Energy’s lighting guide.

3) Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Retrofits
Mechanical contractors are typically more qualified to take on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) retrofits. However, as electricians move into the role of energy contractors, they will need to provide a complete energy solution. Consider this quote from Lara Schwicht Richards, manager of marketing projects for the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

“Energy solutions are a growing market for electrical contractors at a time when traditional construction work is declining,” she says. “Customers can look to electrical contractors to provide a total energy solution—integrating multiple technologies, when appropriate—for their building project rather than simply installing a single product.”

Some HVAC retrofits will always require the know-how of mechanical contractors. But others can be performed by an electrician because of their overlapping skills and knowledge. For example, electricians can install electrical consumption economizers – devices that reduce energy use of AC units – or programmable thermostats that optimize efficiency of HVAC equipment.

Energy Retrofitters, a licensed electrical contractor from Fort Worth Texas, lists other HVAC retrofits among their services like installing oil, acid, and moisture (OAM) purgers for chillers and adding special additives (e.g. thermo-conductive heat transferring compounds) to HVAC equipment. Both reduce electricity use in HVAC equipment.

4) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems and Wind Turbines
Any article about green retrofits would be incomplete without a discussion of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and wind turbines. Solar photovoltaic systems – a.k.a. solar panels – are gaining traction in both residential and commercial applications. Lower production costs, government rebates and tax incentives are the primary drivers of increased adoption.

Grid-Tie Solar System

Electricians will likely have the most success pitching “grid-tie” solar systems, especially in areas where sunlight is not abundant. Using this type of system, the building remains connected to the utility power grid but disconnects as soon as enough solar power is available. Because these systems actually generate electricity, building owners may be able to receive payment or energy credits from their utility company.

Wind turbines are another viable option for building owners looking to recoup electricity costs. While less common than solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines can reduce electricity bills by 50 to 90%, according to the American Wind Energy Association. However, wind turbines aren’t for everyone. They are too big for urban or small-lot suburban homes, and of course they’re not effective in places with low wind speeds.

Other forms of renewable energy include biomass and geothermal systems. These alternative power generation methods are getting attention and they present job opportunities for electricians. As Rob Colgan, executive director of marketing for NECA, points out:

“Consumers are becoming more educated about alternatives to conventional power generation, such as solar, wind and biomass. Effectively using these alternative methods of power generation, however, takes specific skills and experience with a wide array of new products.”

5) Energy Management Systems and Monitoring Devices
Energy management systems have garnered a lot of press over the last year because of Microsoft Hohm and Google PowerMeter. With the aim of helping consumers monitor and manage energy consumption, these programs have the potential to drastically reduce our country’s carbon emissions. Studies show that giving consumers access to detailed home energy information results in 5 to 15% savings on monthly electricity. If half our country adopted these systems, Google says this would be the equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road!

Signing up for Hohm and PowerMeter is free and easy. However, accurately measuring energy use is more challenging. It requires the use of an energy monitoring device (e.g. TED). Installing these devices requires the knowledge of an electrician (or the bravery of a tech-savvy do-it-yourself’er). Multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings require a more sophisticated, “smart meter” system, and therefore necessitate the experience of electricians.

Wrapping up, these five retrofits make up a small portion of possible green renovations. There are hundreds more building products and technologies that will improve energy efficiency, while reducing energy costs. And with buildings producing up to 70% of some cities’ carbon emissions (as reported by the Energy Circle blog), there has never been a more relevant time to implement these technologies. So what other retrofits do you think we should include in our list? Leave us a comment if you know of a product, new technology or type of retrofit that can have a big impact on improving energy efficiency of a building.

Sustainable Consulting Solutions, in conjunction with CLW Real Estate Services Group, prove that going green saves green.  Please read the article here – http://www.review.net/section/detail/green-makes-green/

For more information on how to save money and LEED call Bryan Lauer at 813.363.0861.

The following LEED (EBOM) Case Study will briefly discuss the LEED pre-requisites and credits 100 North Tampa is attempting to submit to the USGBC.  The LEED case study will be broken down into the 6 LEED categories.  Currently we are at the end of our performance period tying up loose ends before application submission.  The LEED (EBOM) process has been a huge success and saving the building money.

Sustainable Sites (SS)

SS Credit 2:  Bldg. Exterior & Hardscape Management Plan - All exterior products used at 100 North Tampa are considered environmentally friendly.  This benefits the environment and reduces harmful chemicals brought on site.

SS Credit 3:  Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control & Landscape Management – No chemicals are used in pest control and landscaping products.  All products are environmentally friendly benefiting the outdoor environment and reduces harmful chemicals brought on site.

SS Credit 7:  Heat Island Reduction – Non-Roof -100 North Tampa has 14 floors of parking garage space within the buildings site totaling 1.2 spaces per 1,000 square feet.

Water Efficiency (WE)

WE pre-requisite 1:  Minimum Indoor Plumbing Fixture & Fitting Efficiency – 100 North Tampa retrofit toilets, faucets and shower heads with high-efficiency, low-flow products creating an estimated water savings of 1.5Million Gallons per Year saving $12,000/year in water costs!

WE Credit 1.1:  Whole Building Metering – 100 North Tampa has 3 meters which total the entire water usage allowing Management to track water usage patterns. Go Green!

WE Credit 1.2:  Water Performance Measurement – 100 North Tampa has 5 submeters to hone in on how much water each end use is using allowing to develop strategies on ways to reduce the water usage.  1 of our meters tracks the amount of condensate water we capture in our cooling tower that is re-used back into the cooling tower saving an estimate 1.6 Million Gallons/Year!

WE Credits 2.1-2.3:  Indoor Plumbing Fixture & Fitting Efficiency- 10-30% Reduction – 100 North Tampa saves 38% of water compared to the LEED (EBOM) Baseline!  The plumbing fixture & fitting retrofit is how we did this. Go Green.

WE Credits 3.1-3.3:  Water Efficient Landscape – 50-100% Reduction – 100 North Tampa shut down our irrigation system because our landscape consists of native and adaptive plants which are well establish.

WE Credit 4.1:  Cooling Tower Water Management - 100 North Tampa collects condensate water (saving estimate of 1.6 Million Gallons/Year), uses water softener (saving an estimated 1.3 Million Gallons/year) and a TRASAR 3D system to monitor the water’s conductivity for optimal conditions.

Go Green!  Let me help you LEED Certify your building.  Bryan Lauer, LEED AP.  813.349.8550

Other categories to Come…

Watch the Video

Example - Use for yourself and Download the spreadsheet here: http://www.productdose.com/article.php?article_id=1142

                                                      Incandescent               CFL               LED

life span (in hours)  …………. 1500      ………….   10,000   ….. 60,000

Watts                                                60                                14                   6

Cost                ………….             $1.345      ………..    $2.98   …..   $54.95

KWh used over 60K hrs       3600                    840                360

Electricity Cost    ………..      $821.72   …….   $191.73  …..  $82.17

         Savings                                  0                         $629.99        $739.55

Bulbs for 60k hours usage ………  40          ……….        6       ……     1         

Equivalent bulb expense            $53.80                 $17.88            $54.95

60k hr. lighting spend  ……… $875.52    ……   $209.61  …..  $137.12

In my opinion, LED lights are #1, CFL #2, Incandescent = Out of business.

Go Green and Save Money by switching to LED bulbs and benefiting financially from improved technology.  There are so many benefits from switching it’s a blessing.  Go Green!

LED (Light -Emitting Diode) is a light source discovered in the early 20th century by way of semiconducter materials.  There are many advantages using LED lights, such as:   Longer Life, Slow Failure, Energy Efficient (uses less energy), Toxicity, Size, Cool Light, Cycling, Shock Resistant, Color, Off/On Time,  and much more.  

Facts/Advantages

• LED lights can save anywhere from 30-50% in electricity usage.
• LEDs have an estimated 35,000-50,000 hours of useful, longer life, whereas fluorescent light bulbs have a useful life less than half of that!
• LED lights slowly burn out opposed to a sudden burn-out.
• LED bulbs emit more light per watt compared to incandescent lights.
• There is NO mercury in LED lights!
• LED lights can come in many sizes because they are made from circuit board.
• LED bulbs produce less heat compared to standard bulbs in most cases.
• Because of such a long life, LED lights are perfect for frequent on/off cycles, whereas fluorescent bulbs burn out much more frequently.
• As mentioned, LED bulbs are solid and therefore industrial and challenging to break, whereas LEDs competition is frail and simple to destroy.
• LEDs can change color easily and do not need other harmful substances like their competitiors do.
• LED lights can light up in microseconds.
• LED bulbs can be dimmed very easily.
• White LED lamps are beginning to make its way into cars.

LED lights are used for many different reasons such as:  

• Light bulbs;
• Large video display (like in Times Square, NYC);
• Grow lights;
• Strobe lights;
• Street lights;
• Exit signs;
• Traffic lights;
• Automobiles;
• Sterilization;
• and the most economical, Machine Vision Systems (i.e., barcode scanners)

There are, however, a few disadvantages with LED lights, such as:  Price, Temperature Dependency, Light Quality, Blue Hazard and Blue Pollution potential.

Facts/Disadvantages

• Currently LED lights are more expensive because of the low lumen output, power supplies and drive circuits required, HOWEVER, they last so much longer and save so much power and cost LED bulbs more than pays for themself.  An Example is in the post Go Green = Save Money Tip #4.
• High ambient temperatures could potentially lead to overheating the LED unit, which potentially causes device failure.
• Older White and Blue LED lights could potentially differ people’s perception of colors in objects.
• White and Blue lights are capable of surpassing the safety limits of lights.
• It is best NOT to purchase white and blue LED lights but BUY other LED lights or state of the art white and blue LED lights.

The majority of this information came from Wikepedia.  To learn more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED#Advantages_of_using_LEDs

Source Reduction, one of the best ways to Go Green & Save Money simultaneously.

Source Reduction= Not Buying the item.

Source reduction is the “method of reducing the amount of unnecessary material brought into a building.  Examples include purchasing products with less packaging and sustainable design.” (USGBC)

You can utilize Source Reduction for anything you consider purchasing.

Example 1- How many Starbucks junkies are there? Many people get their fix from Starbucks daily, spending anywhere from $3-7/day, for their special drink.  Stop going to Starbucks, or at least lessen your visits, you can save anywhere from $500 to $2,500 a year!  Other bi-products of this action are:  reducing your Carbon Footprint (reducing Global Warming), create less trash and leave those un-needed calories back at the coffee shop.

Example 2- Many people purchase 24 packs of water from the grocery store, let’s say once a month at $6.00/case.  Buying this item  is an expense to you, creates waste (packaging + empty bottles) and increases your carbon footprint.

You do not NEED water bottles, you can fill up a glass of water from your sink.  Water from your sink is safe and drinkable.

If you did not purchase this item you would save money, reduce waste (because you will not have any) and reduce your carbon footprint.  You can save $72/year if you stop purchasing water bottles.

Think of how much you can save by not purchasing items you don’t NEED.

How does one go green and save money at the same time?

Most don’t care about going green, however, if you can save money by going green then most will care (unless you are dumb and against saving the world).  

The following tips/strategies will help each individual save money and go green simultaneously!  

Tip #1-Only drive when absolutely necessary.

-Doing this will help you keep fuel in your car, reduce gas station visits, save massive amounts of money (over the long term) and help Go Green by reducing your carbon footprint (greenhouse gas)/Global Warming.

Example- If you bring your lunch to work opposed to driving somewhere for lunch, you may save 6 miles worth of driving.  Do this 4 times a week you save 24 miles. In 52 weeks you save 1,248 miles.  It may cost 0.40 cents per mile, that equals savings of $500/year! (that’s just lunch time).

Now think of other ways you can be more efficient with your driving. 

try to work from home (telecommute) at least 1 day/week, carpool with a neighbor or colleague, use public transportation, have your kids ride the bus, ride your bike to work (if safe), Go Green!!!

Hypermiling is the Green word of the year.  Hypermiling is “attempting to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving technique”, according to Wayne Gerdes, the person who coined the phrase. How do you receive the best milesage?  turn off your a/c and radio, do not accelerate fast, do not stop too quick, shut down at long lights, practice being conservative, anything you feel will help you save gas(money) and go green.

Tip #2- Turn your home A/C off (or at least down) during the day.

-Doing this will help you save, immensely, on your electricity bill, use less of the city’s power, and reduce your carbon footprint/greenhouse gases, which reduces Global Warming and helps you Go Green!

Example- If you turn your A/C off during the day (6 hours) you may save 200 watts of power per day.  If you pay $0.01/watt you will save $2.00/day.  If you do this 300 days/year you will save $600/year!

If you follow Tips 1 & 2 alone, you will save $1,100/year! so Go Green!