Technological advances you can use right away
Kansas City’s unique mix of having a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attainment designation, transportation flexibility, affordable fuels, and low-cost electricity benefit businesses. How can we keep this advantage? As a business, one of the most affordable avenues is to improve our air quality. Considering the dirty emissions associated with our affordable fuels, your business can lead by incorporating energy-efficiency strategies.
Integrating the appropriate energy-efficiency technologies can also improve your bottom line. Here are six appropriate technologies you can incorporate, new building or old, to help get you started:
1. Data Capture and Monitoring
Few businesses, it seems, know how much energy and water they use—or need. Recently, I was showing a facilities director the largest natural gas user in his fleet. His response, “I did not know that building uses natural gas.” Install meters to capture and monitor your use. Read your bills, track the data, review it, and make it available to your employees. Consistently seeing your usage pattern makes you more thoughtful about it, something now called the “Prius Effect.” After you have that meter in place, start paying utility costs directly, so you can capture the financial benefits from efficiencies.
2. Access to Views and Daylight
For some companies, 70 percent of the cost of doing business is salaries and benefits, so increasing performance of your work force by just 1 percent can pay repeated returns. You can save energy and increase productivity by providing access to views and daylight. Daylight reduces reliance on electric fixtures, and better views increase morale. Gone are the days of the six-foot high cubicle farm, closed offices and deep, windowless office spaces. Businesses that have gone to lower-walled, open offices see higher employee attraction, retention, productivity and innovation. We’ve seen decreases of 7.5 percent in absenteeism and increases of 60–80 percent in order processing and fulfillment.
3. Efficient Equipment
Do your computers, copiers, printers, scanners, and appliances, etc., have the Energy Star label? I would expect a Class A company to answer yes. Have you completed lighting upgrades yet? From T-12 and T-8 bulbs to T-5? Are your can lights still incandescent or today’s cool and efficient compact fluorescents? Forward thinkers are working with LED fixtures and lamps reducing energy and maintenance costs. Did you know our metropolitan area’s largest energy user is the water department? Install low-flow toilets, sinks, showers, drinking fountains and even water free urinals. Look for the EPA WaterSense label.
4. Automated Controls
Ever forget to turn out that light, monitor, copier, or computer? Ever wish the light levels in your space would remain consistent? Then it’s time to invest in automated controls, activated by motion, timers, or photocells. Integrate them with your building automation system for maximum benefit.
5. On-site Renewable Energy
Before going here, I recommend a business achieve close to a 50 percent use-reduction because renewable energy generation technologies are expensive. However, with all the current incentives starting to hit the Midwest—combined with the federal incentives—it is hard to pass up the seductiveness of clean, on-site generation, especially at demonstration scale. Make sure your system is grid-tied, eliminating the need for batteries and allowing you to participate in whatever net metering exists or eventually comes to fruition.
6. Maintain, Maintain, Maintain
One final secret: Architects and engineers can design, you can purchase and contractors can install some of these great technologies. But if they aren’t operated or maintained properly, you’re not likely to reap the benefits of your investment. For businesses to achieve sustainability, I’ve found that the people within an organization are the most important asset. To have a truly integrated bottom line, invest in training and engaging your colleagues as sustainability champions.
Brad Nies is a LEED-certified sustainability expert for BNIM Architects in Kansas City.
P | 816.783.1500
E | bnies&bnim.com
Return to Ingram's May 2010