ENERGY CONSERVATION

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ENERGY CONSERVATION TIPS FOR THE NEW OFFICE

by Bobbi Trief

Measures You Can Do Yourself

1. Turn off or disconnect electrical items that are not in use, such

as coffee makers, lights, air conditioners, heaters, radios, typewriters,

computer monitors, and printers. You can shut off incandescent

lights and most printers when not in use; fluorescent

lights, laser printers, and computer monitors if they will be unused for

10 minutes or more. Disconnect refrigerated drinking

fountains if acceptable with building occupants.

2. Tag the items that must remain on during business hours, to avoid

confusion with those that can be turned off.

3. Place signs reminding people to please turn off lights and equipment

when they finish with them, and keep doors and windows closed

when heating or air conditioning is on.

4. Spread electrical demand over a broad period. For example, in the

morning, turn on building or plant lights and electrical equipment

sequentially, over an hour or more, to spread the load.

5. Block the sun’s heat with light-colored or reflective window films,

shades, or curtains.

6. Cover unused windows, such as those that are painted out or blocked

by merchandise, with insulating material. Window glass transfers

more heat per square foot than any other building material. To

cover windows, use roll or batting insulation, or wood panels.

7. Clean dirty skylights and windows to increase the amount of natural

light available.

8. On hot sunny days, close windows, blinds, curtains, and doors on

the sunny side of the building to keep heat out. Close them at

night, too. When the day’s sun has passed, open windows on both

sides of the building to create cross ventilation. Also, keep

curtains open on cool, sunny days to let heat in.

9. Set space heating thermostats no higher than 68 degrees F. and

air conditioning thermostats no lower than 78 degrees F. At night,

set heating back to 55 degrees or 65 degrees, and air conditioning

up to 80 degrees F.

10. When you first switch on heaters or air conditioners, do not set

them to higher or lower temperatures than what you want in the

room. Playing with their thermostats won’t help them work any

faster.

11. Use portable heaters and air conditioners wisely. They are useful

if only one part of a large area must be heated or cooled. But if

there are cold spots (or hot spots) in an area that a central

heating/cooling system serves, it indicates there is a problem

such as air infiltration, lack of insulation, poor air distribution,

or inadequate placement or calibration of a thermostat. Call

your building manager, or a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

(HVAC) specialist to identify and correct it. Then, you

can turn off the portable units.

12. Adjust outdoor light times seasonably, as days get shorter or

longer.

13. Cover wall and window air conditioners during cold months so

cold air cannot come in and rob your building of heat.

14. Use rechargeable batteries wherever possible.

15. Use push brooms for cleaning decks, drives, and streets, rather

than gas-powered blowers or water hoses.

16. Investigate using solar thermal units for space, water, and pool

heating. Also, research uses and cost-effectiveness of other

energy sources, such as natural or bio-gas, geothermal, wind,

and cogeneration for general or task-specific uses. Tax credits

or financial incentives may also be available for alternative

energy investments.

17. Reduce thermostat temperatures on domestic hot water heaters.

Most applications require no more than 105 degrees F water at

the tap. Kitchens, laundries, and laboratories may require hotter

water.

18. During shutdowns and vacations, set thermostats back to the mini-

mum allowable for the season.

Measures You May Want a Professional To Do

19. Install water heater jackets where appropriate for the model

and type of heater you use.

20. Insulate hot water piping throughout the building.

21. Drain and flush sediment from water heaters regularly.

22. Change or replace filters for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

systems regularly. Dirty filters overwork fans;

deteriorating filters can clog cooling coils or heat exchangers.

23. Replace broken windows with new thermal windows.

24. Caulk and weatherstrip areas, such as joints, doors, windows,

louvers, flues, stacks and pipes, access hatches, unsealed

utility connections, and cracks in the building’s surfaces.

25. Repair damaged or missing duct and pipe insulation.

26. Evaluate operation and maintenance procedures. For many

commercial buildings, setting up a program can cut annual utility

costs by up to 20% with little or no capital investment.

27. Commission your building, plant, and equipment. Run your own

tests to make sure specifications are met, and your suppliers,

contractors, and consultants are doing their jobs.

Industry Specific Measures

These measures are listed here only to alert readers to differences

in energy efficiency options between industries. Most of these measures

require the help of a qualified specialist to accomplish, and should

be undertaken as part of an overall energy management plan.

A: Offices, Plants, and Retail Stores

1. Audit and adjust HVAC and lighting systems–the building’s primary

energy consumers.

2. Lower and remove office partitions wherever possible to improve

HVAC and lighting efficiency.

3. Upgrade office machines such as FAX, photocopiers, computers, and

printers to the most energy-efficient models available.

4. Encourage building occupants to take the stairs instead of the

elevator for trips of up to three floors.

5. Cut down the number of elevators in service on nights, weekends,

and holidays, when the majority of occupants are not in the

building.

6. Switch off the motor-generator set located in the elevator machine

room when not in use.

B: Retail and Wholesale Grocery

1. Turn off HVAC air-handler units in stores, food services, and

storage buildings when the areas are unoccupied. This enables air

to stratify and helps refrigeration equipment operate more efficiently.

2. Keep refrigerated products below marked product load lines in

display cases. Overloading decreases product quality and increases

energy use by 10 to 20% for each fixture.

3. Cover open reach-in refrigerated cases to reduce equipment cycling

during hours the area is unoccupied. Check with your refrigeration

contractor to learn if you must take precautions on your particular

units to protect compressors and avoid frost build-up on products.

4. Keep refrigeration pressure and temperature controls serviced and

accurate. Recommended settings are:

Ice cream chests/cases – 14 degrees F

Frozen food cases – 8 degrees F

Deli cases – 35 degrees F

Beverage/dairy cases – 40 degrees F

(Check with your local health department for specific code requirements.)

5. In glass door refrigerated cases, turn off door defogger heaters

during low traffic periods, such as midnight to 7:00 a.m. on

weekdays, and midnight to 8:00 a.m. weekends.

6. Open cold box doors as briefly as possible, and expose refrigerated

products to outside air for as short a time-period as

possible during unloading and restocking.

7. Use manual timers on lights in the employee lunchroom and other

infrequently used rooms.

C: Food Service, Hospitality, Laundry

1. Run dishwashers, clothes washers, and dryers with full loads only.

Clean dryer lint traps regularly. Schedule laundry operations to

avoid peak demand.

2. Use cold water for garbage disposal and cleaning wherever possible.

3. Upgrade to equipment that saves time and energy, such as steam

cookers and kettles, and tilting skillets/braising pans.

4. Set freezer and refrigerator temperatures at maximum allowable by

health codes, usually 0 to 4 degrees F on freezers, 38 to 42

degrees F on refrigerators. Call your local health department for

limits.

D. Hotels, Motels, Restaurants

1. Use manual timers for bathroom lighting and exhaust systems, and

self-closing faucets at sinks.

2. Use booster heaters with dishwashers and other appliances that

need high temperature or sterilizing water. Also, use booster for

applications remote from the main water heater or boiler if fuel

used with booster is cheaper than or the same price as that used

with main water heater.

3. Use automatic dimmers in open areas lit by daylight. Use manual

dimmers to create atmosphere and energy savings in dining area.

E. Miscellaneous Commercial Warehouse

1. Avoid using air-curtain doors on loading docks. Instead, use

swinging doors or build an enclosed staging area for loading

activities.

2. Use radiant space heaters at key task locations in warehouses

rather than HVAC to heat the entire area.

3. In areas with high ceilings, suspend lighting fixtures from

ceiling to bring illumination closer to work, and use task lights

for such specific areas as receiving desk and loading dock.

Bobbi Trief is an independent Management Consultant specializing in environmental and conservational issues.

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