March 3rd, 2010 | 
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As the world continues to reduce energy and become leaders in the race against global warming, a few of the energy efficient LED’s are causing some problems in snow-prone areas. While Halifax was to save $250,000.00 in energy, the new LED’s in the signal lights do not generate enough heat to melt the snow and ice. This rising concern for safety may also impact their savings by adding in labour for scraping snow. Who would have thought?
February 9th, 2010 | No Comments »
System integration is also about adding value to the system, capabilities that are possible because of interactions between subsystems. Without standard protocol it is very difficult to interconnect products made by different manufacturers. A single front end system could be made which knows the proprietary communication techniques of each system and can effectively bridge their differences in software; however that would take the cooperation of multiple manufacturers and would be very costly to implement and support as various systems change and evolve independently. The end result is that owners feel trapped and locked into the products of a single manufacturer. Open system architecture has effectively returned building control to the user. Open systems have introduced new levels of operational efficiency, flexibility, and cost effectiveness. Because of this, users can install integrated, easily modified systems even using components from competing providers. The key to this revolution is BACnet.
January 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
We’re seeing a lot more VFD’s being added to fans and pumps in new construction and renovations. What exactly are they? How do they save energy? Let’s take a look into some of the technology that’s being offered today and try to get some answers!
A Variable Frequency Drive is what we know as a VFD. It is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. Motor-driven systems are often designed to handle peak loads that have a safety factor. This often leads to energy inefficiency in systems that operate for extended periods at reduced load. The ability to adjust motor speed enables closer matching of motor output to load and often results in energy savings. For example, in ventilation systems for large buildings, variable-frequency motors on fans save energy by allowing the volume of air moved to match the system demand.
Variable speed drives are used for two main reasons:
Why?
On top of the energy saving components there are other benefits that can reduce operating costs in the long run:
There are many factors involved in choosing the right VFD for your application. Check it out and see how much money you might be able to save!
January 6th, 2010 | No Comments »
Who is rich? He who is content. Who is that? Nobody. - Benjamin Franklin
So we may not all be rich, but we can definitely put some more money into our pockets if we look at some energy saving tips for home. While some of the strategies can be brought into the office, like occupancy sensors and programmable thermostats, there are some interesting changes you can implement at home. Let’s take a look at both.
1. Check your lighting! Compact fluorescent bulbs use approximately 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last longer.
2. Turn off lights when you leave a room. Occupancy sensors are perfect for office washrooms and great for laundry rooms. An inexpensive solution that can save you hours of energy use.
3. Don’t peek in the oven during cooking - approximately 25% of the heat escapes!
4. Maintenance. A small bill to pay to get your equipment tuned up can save you hefty bills in the future. This includes changing filters,cleaning your refrigerator ’s intake grill and defrosting your freezer. Tune up before the cooling and/or heating season.
5. Weather stripping can make all the difference, especially if you live in an older house. Weather strip the attic and garage doors, seal gaps around water pipes and windows. You can also purchase insulating window film to decrease heat from escaping.
These are just a few ideas to get you going. Do you have any unique ideas for saving energy in your home?
December 17th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
When it comes to the holidays, expenses will add up in no time. There are Christmas presents, corporate parties, entertaining guests, and let’s not forget paying to keep our home and office warm in this frigid season. One of the most cost effective ways to keep your energy bills low during this time of year will be the use of programmable thermostats.
What sets these thermostats apart is their ability to maintain the temperature that you set within a couple degrees. Not only that, but you can also program these thermostats for set-back. So while you’re at work or while you’re sleeping, the temperature does not need to be kept at as high of setting. It is based on comfort at high traffic times and then can easily be reduced for those time your home is unoccupied. This can add up to hundreds of dollars saved in energy costs. So if you are going away for the holidays, make sure you program your thermostat accordingly!
December 4th, 2009 | No Comments »
How many of you have heard of thermographic imaging? Aside from all the science associated with thermographics, the construction industry has taken the technology under it’s wing to provide new services for home owners and commercial properties alike. When thermal insulation becomes faulty, you can now see thermal signatures that indicate heat leaks, and can easily improve heating and cooling deficiencies. Locating hot spots on your electrical panel, or finding unbalanced phases can save you hundreds of dollars in repairs in the long run. Many Condo Boards and Shoppping Centres have decided to include thermographic reports in their yearly budget for insurance purposes. Maybe it’s time to look at proactive facility maintenance and include thermographic imaging in your building.
October 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
How much time does the average person spend on the web? At an approximate 32 hours a week, you can bet that the most common activity does not include building monitoring or operations. But with such frequent trips to the world wide web, you can assume that the majority of the popoulation knows how to navigate it. Which brings us to web based lighting controls.
With the simple task of opening up your browser and logging into your site, you can see schedules for lighting as well as graphical floorplans showing which areas are on or off and why. For any maintenance or operational staff this can come in quite handy. Having scheduling programs taken care of before the holidays with the click of a button has saved hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in labour and energy costs. It can also help with electrical maintenance. Pulling up your property on the computer will allow you to turn light loads on in specific zones in order to determine which bulbs need replacing. After quickly mapping them out, you can turn off the power and change the lights accordingly without having to run into electrical rooms all over the building. For service companies who are not familiar with the building lay out, this will save them a remarkable amount of time.
The whole idea of web based lighting controls are to simplify operations. This means reducing the time and energy spent on lighting and replacing it with a user-friendly graphical interface.
Are you getting the energy savings from your control system?
October 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »
So now we know the basic electrical factors that can help us reduce our energy, what’s next? Lighting Controls. You see controls in action everyday, probably without even knowing it! Let’s look at a couple of examples.
The most basic lighting controls can help reduce energy that much more. Occupancy Sensors have been playing a mojor role in eliminating wasted energy in offices, washroom, corridors, etc. They are typically installed in the place of a light switch, although some sensors are located on the ceiling and not the wall. They can actually detect movement and will turn the lights into occupied mode for a specified period of time. There are also sensors with microphonics or both. Sensors can virtually hear and see what you do and will keep the lighting on accordingly. How many times do you go in and out of your office per day?
Dimming systems are pretty cool too and are seen in residential and commercial settings. Yep, you guessed it, restaurants use dimming systems to help create the perfect ambience, but they are also reducing their energy use. Here’s how:
Incandescent and halogen bulbs have a thick metal wire in them, called a filament. When you turn on a light switch, an electrical current passes through the filament, and the filament heats up. When the filament gets hot, it produces light. The dimmer works by interrupting the current flowing into the filament. When less current flows into the filament, the filament doesn’t get as hot, and it produces less light. When the dimmer interrupts the electrical current flowing through it, essentially no power is being consumed. People who have high sensitivity to light will also be more productive if they are able to control their lighting so they can create their own perfect working environment. Neat fact - dimmers can also help reduce CO2 emissions and can also last up to 10 years, reducing landfill waste.
And what about web based lighting controls? Stay tuned…
In the meantime, how are you going to reduce energy?
August 19th, 2009 | No Comments »
Since Google is the leading search engine worldwide, we all seem to be using several of the bonus features that come with it such as Google Docs, Web Alerts, Analytics, etc. I happen to have an alert for “Building Automation Systems”. What I find surprising is the amount of people interested in lighting! While the information remains quite consistent I thought it would be a good topic to discuss.
Lighting is really one of the easiest ways to save on energy - and fast. It’s really quite simple how it all works. Let’s start with retrofits. There are many options available to building operators today which can help reduce operating costs and still keep their building looking great.
A lot of older buildings have the typical metal halide high-bay set-up. This makes a retrofit pretty easy as you can change the ballast and lamp to a lower wattage while still keeping the same lighting output. You can change the 400W’s to 250W’s or even lower! This is probably the most common situations I have run into. The return of investment should be graphed for you to show you exactly how much money you can save and in what period of time. An ROI is the best selling tool for any company doing a lighting retrofit because the numbers don’t lie. In fact, when we did the lighting retrofits for Mac’s Convenience stores we went down from a 400W fixture to a 70W fixture. The lighting output was lower but much more even. Not to mention the amount of savings that were realized.
What else is new to the high-bay market? T5’s. They are pretty comparable to T8 fluorescents although the lighting output is stronger from a T5 fluorescent. Either way, they have both started replacing the old T12’s. Because the T12’s have a magnetic ballast there is additional energy loss which can add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars each year. You definitely want to get rid of these fixtures as soon as possible. So there are many warehouses who are looking at the T5’s as an alternative to their 400W high-bays.
Cool, so now we know that reducing the light’s wattage can dramatically reduce the amount of money we are putting into our operating budgets. There are a ton of professionals who can help you determine what’s best for your facility. So what about controlling your lighting to achieve even greater energy savings, or even to assist you with the operation of your property? We will take a look at that next time. Stay tuned!
What do you know about lighting controls? Feel free to share ideas.
July 9th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
As you mention “audit” people think of government’s prying eyes peeking into taxes and making you pay more than claimed. Imagine though if an audit was meant to save you money. Wouldn’t that be a relief?! By inquiring about an energy audit, you are almost assured to be on the right side of the money making equation.
An energy audit usually entails cost cutting measures that have an immediate payoff. Small adjustments to a facility’s HVAC system or assessment of lighting needs are quick and easy ways to realize cost savings. It should be expected that within the first couple of hours an energy auditor reviews a facility, cost savings should be realized. It is a general rule of thumb that with little or no money up front, a user can reduce their energy demands by 5 – 10%.
Immediate cost savings prove the effectiveness of the audit and allow the user to be more open regarding other modifications to further reduce their energy demands. The next changes or modifications tend to increase in capital commitment by the user but the size of the saving increases accordingly. The auditor should be able to provide a financial analysis for each change and what the cost-benefit result would be for the user. Be sure that the calculations and assumptions are explained fully. Without this understanding the user will not know what to expect from the changes.
With an energy audit you are expected to make money, not lose money. If this is not the result, question the effectiveness of the auditor. If their investigation is thorough and well explained and they do not find anything to improve, it is a commendation to the user’s efficiency and conservatism. Sometimes it’s just nice to hear that you are doing everything you can!
