Nothing is better to show the cost effectiveness of addressing energy concerns smartly than to see an actual case study of a building like yours. Here is an interesting one.
Colonial Needle Company (www.colonialneedle.com) operates two adjoining buildings in White Plains, N.Y., performing office, warehousing and light industrial activities in the buildings, built in the 1950s. The buildings were essentially untouched since their construction. One winter day a couple of years ago, the CEO was sitting in his corner office when a gust of wind actually blew onto him through his single pane, cracked, uncaulked windows. He was stunned. He got up and walked down a corridor and saw that his staff was working at their desks with their parkas on, half of them with space heaters. In disgust, he threw down a pen and realized this was no way to run a company. He was going to do a complete energy upgrade. To his credit, he did not just put "band-aids" over the problems, like replacing cracked windows in kind and do some caulking. But he went from 1950s to 21st Century technology. He brought in CCES to provide Colonial Needle with some of the technical advice to succeed.
Colonial Needle state-of-the-art overhaul of its energy systems included replacement of windows with modern double-paned, argon-filled units; upgrades of lighting; installation of highly-upgraded insulation into the roof and exterior walls; replacement of an old, inefficient No. 6 oil-burning boiler with a smaller gas-fired unit with thermostatic control; and installation of a solar-powered hot water system. CCES also researched and put into place maximum financial incentives allowable for these upgrades from NYSERDA and from Con Edison.
What were the financial gains from this effort? CCES used an energy model to plan and pinpoint the energy cost savings of the upgrades. The project resulted in a reduction in total energy costs of over 60%. But the project resulted in more than that. As it proceeded, the CEO recognized that there were underutilized portions of the warehouse which he could refurbish and lease out. He did do so to a supplier, not only gaining additional rental revenue, but cutting the cost and time to have this supply delivered. A major win-win here.
And Colonial Needle won the 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award for Energy from the Westchester Green Business Challenge.
CCES can help your building, whether it is residential or commercial, plan and implement smart energy upgrades to save you significant energy costs and to maximize other financial benefits, as well. Don't wait, start planning to save costs today.
Marc Karell, P.E., CEM, EBCP, is the president of Climate Change & Environmental Services, LLC, Mamaroneck, N.Y. Tags: