Month: March 2017

A commercial building or complex has an impact on the environment around it. When we choose to build “green,” we make a commitment to use available resources as efficiently as possible. The end result is buildings that are healthier for those inhabiting them while working in conjunction with the surrounding environment and provide cost savings.

A “green” building is a building that is sustainable. Its design will integrate seamlessly with the surrounding ecology through use of resource-efficient design specifics and equipment. Green buildings meet objectives such as promoting the health of the occupants, improving employee productivity and making efficient use of resources such as water, energy and other resources. A green building, whether being constructed from the ground up or renovated, is designed specifically to reduce its overall impact on the environment around it.

Features found in a green building

Green building and renovation practices will differ from locale to locale, depending on the surrounding environment. In general, most green buildings will feature one or more of the following design specifics:

• Taking advantage of existing mass transit
• Building materials make use of recycled content wherever possible
• Retain natural land characteristics and protect existing natural features in the landscaping scheme
• Landscaping choices will include plants that have low pesticide requirements and utilize water sparingly
• Energy efficiency is a priority in all aspects of construction
• Dimensional planning and utilizing material efficiency strategies
• Include dual plumbing in the construction or renovation designs to allow recycled water use for toilet flushing. Investigate feasibility of a gray water system to recover rainwater and other non-potable water for use in irrigation systems
• Improved air quality through construction materials and interior finish products that are zero or low emission
• Adequate ventilation through things like an in-duct filtration system, and heating and cooling systems with proper ventilation and filtration

Going green carries economic benefits

The initial cost for constructing or renovating with green principles in mind may be higher than conventional construction methods, but the lower operating costs will generate savings over the life of the building. These cost savings cannot be fully realized unless included in a project’s original designs. This will require the input of an integrated team of professionals to ensure the building’s design reflects a single functioning unit rather than a collection of various systems that have no connections to each other.

The end result is savings for operating costs, lower maintenance expenditures, improved health of occupants and increased living comfort. Occupant and employee productivity can improve while reducing pollution.

Let our industry experts show you how to go green with your new projects and incorporate green principles in your renovations.

Can your choice of lightbulb impact your company’s budget? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. While there are several options on the market, the LED lightbulb is the smartest investment choice.

Based on energy consumption alone, LED bulbs can help a company realize substantial savings versus traditional incandescent light bulbs and even compact fluorescent lights. Incandescent lights use almost 500 times as much energy as an equivalent LED light while CFLs use about 20% more energy than LEDs.

While it is true that LED lights are more expensive on a per unit basis, this cost is deceiving. During the life of a single LED bulb, you can expect to have to replace traditional bulbs at least ten times and CFL three. This makes the lifetime cost of the LED less expensive, in turn saving you money in the long run.

A hidden cost related to replacing bulbs is the expense of replacement. Having to replace lights less often leads to maintenance savings. Keeping a single replacement light on hand for an LED versus a shelf of backup bulbs for incandescent lighting saves inventory costs. Also, CFL bulbs contain hazardous materials requiring special disposal procedures, adding to their maintenance costs.

Another unseen impact is on your HVAC bill. Incandescent lights generate a lot of heat. CFLs, while cooler, still generate noticeable heat. LEDs are cool. Your facility’s lighting has a is a significant impact on your HVAC system simply from the number and type of lights in your facility.

The experts at Performance Solutions are happy to meet with you and develop a transition plan to reduce the sticker shock of switching to LED lights so you can start operating leaner and greener.

When we talk about energy, we tend to think of the immediate impacts of the choices we make. For example, fossil fuels are still fairly cheap, but they’re harmful to the environment. Solar and wind energy, while not currently able to step in and immediately replace these fossil fuels, are clearly a more acceptable, long-term solution.

Fostering energy efficiency in the long-term is referred to as energy sustainability.

What is Energy Sustainability?

When most people think of sustainable energy, they’re thinking of green energy-electricity produced from solar, wind, hydro-electric, tidal generation and other sources of naturally occurring power. That’s a piece of energy sustainability, but the most important aspect of an energy type to qualify is its sustainability. Or, its ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

Fossil fuels are not sustainable, for example, because there’s a finite amount of them. Even if it were possible to drill every well and mine every bit of coal without doing extreme damage to the environment, eventually, those resources simply run out.

Resources like wind or sunlight are different. While the wind does die down and the sun sets, those resources are infinite. Not only that, they are plentiful. The challenge is harnessing them in a way that is not harmful to the environment that will allow us to shrink our environmental footprint over the coming years.

Fortunately, though, that’s a challenge we seem to finally be meeting.