THEENERGYMANAGER
Advanced lighting
and automated
window shading
reduced lighting
energy usage by
nearly 80% in a
recent test on one
floor of a New
York City high-rise
during a recent
field test.
A partnership of Lawrence
Berkeley National
Laboratory and
the Building
Energy Exchange
(BEEx), the test
incorporated four
sets of technologies across one 40,000-square-foot floor
of an office building. The T5 fluorescent
lights on the floor were replaced with dimmable LEDs, which were adjusted throughout the day to reflect changes in daylight
levels and space occupancy. Researchers
raised and lowered automated shades to
bring in outside views, let in daylight or
reduce glare.
The space was monitored for a full year
before the retrofit to create a baseline for
comparison, then for another six months
after the retrofit.
How Off-the-Shelf Technologies
Slashed 80% of Lighting Energy Use
THE ADVANCED LIGHTING STRATEGIES BEHIND STAGGERING SAVINGS
The 40-foot-deep perimeter zone saw
a 79% reduction in lighting-related energy
use, and the associated demand for peak
lighting was decreased by 74%. Most of
the savings resulted from switching to LED
lighting and allowing dimming across the
entire floor rather than just next to the windows. The ability to customize zone control
at the work-group level with advanced
controls also contributed significantly to
the savings, with many of the configuration
decisions based on the need to maintain
both bright interiors and access to the outdoors.
If the entire building received the same
retrofit, researchers estimate a total electricity savings of $730,000 per year at an
average rate of 20 cents per k Wh, resulting
in a 3- to 12-year payback depending on
installed system costs.
“Using everything we learned on this
project, we’ve developed a series of tools
that will really help the engaged design
professional or building owner make better
decisions about lighting system upgrades
and avoid the common pitfalls on the
road to a high performance office space,”
explains Yetsuh Frank, BEEx Managing
Director of Strategy and Programs.
Often overlooked in the scheme of energy efficiency, natural gas has
improved considerably through recent
efficiency efforts, according to a report
by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
In Natural Gas Efficiency: Progress and
Opportunities, the organization outlines
how new technologies, price effects,
building codes, appliance and equipment
efficiency standards, and utility-funded
energy efficiency programs have made
natural gas a more viable energy source
for commercial buildings.
Some states and utilities have experienced annual energy savings increases
of more than 1% of commercial and residential sales annually, and the states that
achieve the highest savings are those
with energy efficiency resource standards
and incentives for utilities that are more
energy-efficient for their customers.
The report also addresses how these
incremental improvements by 1% each
year can be achievable over the next
10-20 years, and that there are additional
ways to find ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of already inexpensive natural gas. It highlights commercial building
retrofits and advanced controls as just
two of the many ways to capitalize on
natural gas for your facility.
Opportunities identified in the report
include combined heat and power (CHP),
coordination with electric and water
utilities, and fuel switching. Of these, the
report lists multiple opportunities for CHP
deployment with other utilities.
“Natural gas makes up a significant
portion of our energy mix, and there are
still many opportunities to increase our
efficiency, keep energy bills in check and
reduce our emissions,” explains Steven
Nadel, Executive Director of ACEEE. “By
doing so, we can improve the U.S. econo-
Visit www.aceee.org to read the
report.
Natural Gas Efficiency
Continues to Improve
REPORT IDENTIFIES OPPORTUNITIES
FOR NATURAL GAS UTILITIES
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FOUR TECHNOLOGIES were put to the test
across the 40,000-square-foot floor, creating
what researchers called a "living lab."
A FIELD TEST REVEALED a 79% reduction in lighting-related energy use
in the perimeter zone of this New York City office floor.
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