Saving Energy: A Call to Action
Governor Gregoire supports energy efficiency actions. Washington state agencies can reduce energy use by taking advantage of program resources from other agencies, organizations and utility companies.
The state of Washington owns and leases 108,244,000 square feet of facilities to house 86 state agencies and over 100,000 state employees (2011 Facilities Inventory System Report, RCW43.82.150). This spreadsheet from the Department of Enterprise Services shows a tally of energy-saving projects at state buildings through 2009. Many agencies have achieved significant building energy cost reductions. Let’s build on that momentum and demonstrate how small changes can have a big impact.
Many excellent technical resources are available on building efficiency topics. Following are resources selected by the WSU Energy Program engineers and energy specialists. Click on a topic to show its associated resources. Contact us for information on other topics.
In addition, the factsheet Energy Efficiency Actions for Building Operators highlights some steps you can take to reduce energy usage in your building.
Governor Gregoire supports energy efficiency actions. Washington state agencies can reduce energy use by taking advantage of program resources from other agencies, organizations and utility companies.
Don Rainey and Susan Sharp of Conservation Catalysts, Inc. presented this webinar on March 20, 2012. The presentation includes maintenance and troubleshooting tips, purchasing best practices, and communicating with customers or building occupants. The presentation encourages O&M staff to be the front line for identifying improvements leading to more efficient building operations.
Building engineers and occupants want a building that is comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient. Creating a comfortable environment will enhance the productivity of workers and achievement of students. This video examines comfort essentials; how to better assess comfort issues; and look at energy efficient solutions to common comfort problems.
Washington state employees can take action to reduce their energy use at work, while remaining comfortable and productive. These small individual actions add up to a large impact on building operating budgets.
Building managers should have a few mini data loggers in their toolkit. Data loggers are affordable, easy to set up and install, and they provide meaningful information that can be used to control the energy use of appliances or equipment in buildings. This 13-minute video discusses product features, demonstrates use and provides case studies.
Occupancy sensors are an easy and effective way to help conserve energy because they will automatically turn off building lighting during periods of non-use. When set correctly, occupancy sensors can help save lighting energy costs.
Training is a necessary component of any building energy management plan. Building operators, maintenance staff, procurement officials and management need to be aware of best practices and emerging technologies for the most effective building operations. Following are current training events or webinars from respected training organizations.
Building Operator Certification: NEW! Deep discounts for state employees in 2012. Request a Promo Code
Data Center Energy Efficiency Summit, April 11, Bellevue, WA. Sponsored by Puget Sound Energy
Effective building operators or maintenance mechanics spend a lot of time listening to their customers, the building occupants. Convincing the occupants to use energy efficiently can be challenging when the occupants are not familiar with energy concepts. So, education is another important component of the operator's job. Resources are available to assist with energy awareness and education. We have listed a few below. March to Savings is itself an example of an energy awareness campaign! Here are a few hints to start educating occupants in your building:
Find a way to show the building occupants how much energy is being used in the building as a whole. A picture or graph can really help. For example: Use a datalogger to gather the data and show a graph indicating the cost of lights left on in the restrooms 24/7.
Concepts that are important to show include:
Creating an Energy Awareness Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program, 2007.
Implement an Action Plan, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Star Program. Setting up a communication plan, raising awareness, building capacity, motivating, tracking and monitoring energy use.