EPIC, Extraordinary People in Care of Long Island purchased and completely "green-ovated" 1500 Hempstead Tpke., formerly occupied by Snapple and Lukoil.
Environmentally friendly initiatives were incorporated inside and out, from the underground parking garage up to the roof. The decision to go green was motivated by several factors. Paul Giotis, chief operating officer of EPIC said "We are in the business of helping people, so the concepts of social responsibility and going green go hand in hand with that. When the opportunity to go green presents itself, it's backed by government incentives and it results in saving dollars to support more people, I call that a no-brainer."
Compliance with updated ASHRAE (formerly the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) lighting codes and available government incentive programs also factored into EPIC's decision.
Giotis and EPIC's facilities manager, Charles Pulver, put together a team for the renovation, including Fusion Architects, Majestic Solar, Schwing Electric and Enterprise Lighting Sales (ELS). Ram Hemraj, of ELS, was instrumental in advising EPIC on the best lighting options for its needs.
The first step was upgrading the lighting in the underground parking garage from "old school" fluorescent tube lighting to new energy efficient lighting.
Lighting throughout the 36,800 s/f building was replaced to take advantage of "daylight harvesting," a new standard in the field of green initiatives.
Energy efficient LED lighting fixtures and controls were installed in each room and area of the building, so that the lights automatically dim and/or shut-off based on occupancy and available natural light. These lights require no maintenance for 10-15 years, and should pay for themselves within two years.
Moving upward, a majority of the energy efficient renovations were made to the roof. The heat intensity of the sun can raise the temperature of a black tar roof by 90 degrees, which can make the interior of a building much hotter.
The old roof was replaced with a "Cool Roof" which reflects sunlight and significantly decreases the surface temperature. EPIC chose to use "Acrymax" - a liquid acrylic roofing system, which is extremely durable and provides moisture and thermal protection.
Once the "Cool Roof" was in place, a 50,000 watt solar panel system consisting of 204 panels mounted via a ballast system was installed, along with five inverters. The "Cool Roof" reflects sunlight onto the solar panels, increasing the energy efficiency and cost savings.
EPIC's green initiatives put energy back into the grid, earning it credits from PSEG Long Island, literally "giving back" to the community in another way. While it is too early to calculate specific cost savings, EPIC hopes to recoup its investment from energy savings in eight years. Tags: