flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Renewables creating significant savings for commercial and public facilities

Codes and Standards

Renewables creating significant savings for commercial and public facilities

Payback ranges from five to 15 years.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | August 27, 2019
Renewables creating significant savings for commercial and public facilities

Photo: Pixabay

   

The U.S. Department of Energy says that facilities that install renewable energy systems are reaping considerable savings.

Examples include:

• Retailer Best Buy installed solar panels and upgraded energy conservation to realize a cost savings of 25% over the course of four years at a site in Richfield, Minnesota.

• A rooftop solar unit at a Super 8 motel in Ukiah, California provides 60% of the electric power and 100% of the hotel’s hot water production for guestrooms and the hot tub.

• Discovery Elementary School, in Arlington County, Virginia, reports that the 97,588 sf facility operates at a 66% lower energy use intensity (EUI) compared to the district’s average.

• Suncoast Credit Union in Bushnell, Florida, upgraded its service center with solar electric systems. After its first year, the facility delivered more than 31 megawatt-hours (MWh) to the grid and used 25 MWh to become a zero-energy building.

The payback on renewables for public and institutional clients is usually 15 years or shorter. In the private sector, typical paybacks are five to seven years.

Related Stories

| Feb 9, 2012

Computer tool helps engineers design roof cladding using Canada's building code

Easier to design roof cladding that can withstand winds in a given area. 

| Feb 9, 2012

Webinar focuses on lessons learned from LEED-certified industrial project

This case study will focus on strategies used to save the client money, achieve certification, and effectively market success once the project was complete.

| Feb 9, 2012

Rapid growth of zero energy buildings expected

Much of that growth will be in the European Union, where near-zero energy buildings are mandated by 2019 for public buildings, and by 2021 for all construction.

| Feb 9, 2012

Stiffer OSHA fines put strain on Kansas contractors

A fine for a violation that once cost between $750 and $1,200 now runs $7,000 or more per incident, according to a state industry association official.

| Feb 9, 2012

Webinar focuses on lessons learned from LEED-certified industrial project

A Construction Specifications Institute webinar will focus on the lessons learned through the design and construction of a LEED-certified industrial project, Better Living Mill Shop, the first industrial building in Central Virginia to earn LEED certification.

| Feb 8, 2012

California likely to eliminate redevelopment agencies

Leaders of California cities had been trying to fashion a compromise with lawmakers after the state Supreme Court ruled the state had the authority to eliminate the agencies and use their property tax money for local services.

| Feb 8, 2012

Project aimed at economical seismic retrofits on historic Memphis structures

The group will develop a low-cost seismic retrofit model that would benefit aging brick-and-mortar structures. It involves bolting steel brackets to existing wooden floor and ceiling joists.

| Feb 8, 2012

Houston signs on to Better Buildings Challenge

The challenge has about $4 billion in federal and private-sector funds, which it will use for building energy upgrades nationwide in the next two years.

| Feb 8, 2012

OSHA offers free health and safety consulting for small businesses

The consultants offer confidential, non-punitive advice.

| Feb 8, 2012

Controversy over pay for prisoners on roofing job in Michigan

The disagreement was over whether the prisoners should have been paid prevailing wage for their brief time on the job because the project was paid for with a U.S. Department of Energy grant.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Green

Tool helps construction and renovation projects with CalGreen compliance

One Click LCA recently launched a new software tool to help building teams comply with Part 11, Title 24, of the California Code of Regulations—CALGreen. The regulation is the nation’s first state-mandated green building code to include embodied carbon emission control as a mandatory component, effective from July 1, 2024.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021