Going GREEN and Sustainable facilities is NOT a fad.

“Green”/Sustainable Facilities are not a fad

Posted by admin on September 26, 2010
Stored in Blog

When the term Green Building came out, I thought it was a fad. I had envisioned a bunch of tree huggers huddled in Oregon (no offense, I was born in Portland) eating granola and twigs while conjuring up ideas to make our lives miserable. Green, sustainable and LEED are all terms that are becoming vernacular to most people who are associated with the development and maintenance of any facility. The idea behind these movements is far more than just “tree hugging”…it makes good business/financial sense. Not just to take care of the planet God has entrusted to us (that is a more detailed topic for another day) but also to reduce operating costs….and in most cases a lot of cost.

Let’s look at a couple examples;

EXAMPLE 1: Exit signs

Have you ever considered the cost of running power in the exit signs in your facility? Do you think it is insignificant? I didn’t…until I read a report developed and released by US EPA and Department of Energy. I was shocked. Here are the Cliffs Notes versions for those of you waiting for the movie to come out:

Most existing exit signs utilize incandescent light bulbs which use about 40 watts per sign
The new LED exit signs only use 2.9 watts per sign
The average life of an incandescent bulb in an exit sign is just over a quarter year, so you will have to replace the bulb about 4 times a year (this might be a stretch…remember this data came from people who pay $800 for a hammer)
There is significantly less maintenance on the LED lights.
The life cycle cost to use the LED is a savings of about $30/year per sign (the report actually said $100…but our research has scaled it back to $30)

Now, go through your building and calculate how many exit signs you have and tell me if going green is still just for tree huggers (by the way, I love trees too).

While we are on the topic of cost savings for light bulbs, have you looked to see if you can utilize compact fluorescent bulbs…you know…the funning looking spiral bulbs (actually, they come in several shapes)? They require about 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer (According to www.energystar.gov ). I actually made the switch with about 60% of the bulbs in my house and have seen a significant electrical savings due to the reduced electrical load but also the reduced heat of the bulbs which meant the A/C did not have to run as hard.

EXAMPLE 2: Would someone please turn off the lights?

How many times have you said that at home? My kids (and my bride of 26 years) are notorious for leaving lights on. I can not tell you how many church buildings and other commercial facilities I have been in where there is a hand written note next to the main entrance reminding people to turn off the lights. However, inevitably, someone forgets and the lights burn for hours and sometimes days before the spaces are occupied again. This happens over and over again and it is not just a waste of electricity, but shortens the life of the bulb and in some cases, the fixture. It has actually become part of the building code that certain room classifications and building occupancies are REQUIRED to provide occupancy sensors in the rooms to reduce this waste. It got so bad in our house that I had the sensors installed in the kitchen panty and another room the kids are in and out of all the time. They have worked GREAT!.

According to the California Energy Commission/U.S. Department of Energy/Electric Power Research Institute, there are significant energy savings by installing occupancy sensors. The report indicates the following:

APPLICATION	POTENTIAL ENERGY SAVINGS
Office (private)	25-35%
Offices (open spaces)	20-25%
Rest Rooms	30-75%
Corridors	30-40%
Storage Rooms	45-65%
Meeting Rooms	45-65%
Conference Rooms	45-65%

NOTE: Figures listed represent maximum energy savings potential under optimum circumstances and based on manufacturer estimate.

OK, let’s assume you can only realize 50% of the above, that is still a significant amount of savings…and it is ongoing savings which means that the rate of return to the initial investment will continue to grow, as I am sure we all would agree that the cost of electricity is not coming down any time soon.

Going GREEN makes good financial sense. It is no longer just part of a fringe movement. There are real dollars involved here…and a dollar saved in operational costs is a dollar that can be reinvested in the management/maintenance of the facilities or directly back into other ministry endeavors.