Image: Johnson Controls Inc.

The new green economy is slowly filling gaps left as older industries shrink. Johnson Controls Inc., of Milwaukee, WI, has suffered reduced demand for its automotive electronics components as the overall auto industry has shrunk. The company is making up for the loss by boosting its work in energy efficiency systems and software. As stimulus money goes toward energy efficiency, and building managers look at energy bills to cut costs, they are turning to advanced efficiency systems.

Johnson Controls provides products and services that include HVAC equipment and control systems, industrial and commercial refrigeration and service for commercial, industrial and residential buildings.
The company also makes software that allows users to manage and monitor their carbon footprint. This will not only let businesses become more sustainable, but will prepare them for future climate change regulations.

Finally, the company is upgrading its automotive offerings to become a leader in electric and hybrid car systems.

Johnson Controls is not new to the world of energy efficiency; they won an honorable mention in the 4th Annual Flex Your Power Awards for reducing demand at their own facility.

There are large rewards to be had in the energy efficiency and carbon management fields, and companies like these will help themselves, help the environment and help American workers by being leaders in the industry.

• Visit the Flex Your Power Awards page to read more on Johnson Controls
• Learn more about energy efficiency for commercial buildings

The Embassy Suite Lake Tahoe Hotel and Ski Resort could save close to $500,000 in energy bills by the end of the year thanks to recent upgrades.

Just seven months after launching efficiency initiatives, the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel and Ski Resort has saved $250,000 in energy costs and could save close to $500,000 by the end of this year. Under the leadership of hotel engineering director David Hansen and a team of hotel management, the hotel’s efforts began in January with a property survey, followed by a series of energy-saving improvements that cost a total of $200,000. The project was expected to have a two-year payback period, but the massive savings generated should be enough for the hotel’s owners to recoup their investment in just 10 months. Some of these lucrative improvements include:

• A web-based energy management system, including scheduling software, for managing heating and cooling
• Motorized dampers on outside air returns to allow cooling without air-conditioning
• Variable frequency drives on cooling and condensing pumps (pumps now run at less than 50 percent of capacity)
• A new ozone laundry system
• Lighting retrofits including occupancy sensors, LED exit signs, CFLs and efficient T-8 ballast lighting in the garage
• A Sustainability Committee consisting of 5 employees and 10 managers that meets weekly
• Recycling and waste management improvements

In addition to saving the hotel money, the improvements are also helping the environment, cutting 575,000 kWh of electricity use and 9,314 dekatherms of natural gas, and eliminating 48 tons of waste sent to the landfill annually. As a reward for its improvements, the hotel is set to receive a $10,000 rebate check from Sierra Pacific Power, underscoring the fact that with current stimulus incentives and other programs, there has never been a better time to invest in energy efficiency.

• Read background: “Embassy Suites Site Reaps $250,000 in Energy Savings,” by Glenn Hasek, Green Lodging News (7/29/09)
• Read more success stories

Sustainable Spaces offers solar panel installation, but only after thorough efficiency upgrades  (Photo: Sustainable Spaces)

Sustainable Spaces, a San Francisco-based home performance retrofitting contractor, helps improve the health, comfort and energy efficiency of homes. Their retrofits help to save homeowners an average of 40% on their energy bills, adding up to 745,300 kWh and 149,060 Therms saved by Sustainable Spaces in 2008. Their home performance specialists examine both the building envelope, such as windows and insulation, and the major home systems like the furnace and A/C units. They then work with in-house contractors to make energy efficiency updates as needed. Sustainable Spaces’ efforts earned them a Best Overall Award in the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards.

• View the winners of the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards
• Visit the Sustainable Spaces website

Representatives from the Santa Clara Valley Water District accept their award

The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) has been a leader in water conservation and through its programs it saved over 19.5 billion gallons in fiscal year 2007/2008. Its programs are a mix of incentives, such as rebates, no-cost water saving devices and home and site visits, and education to help customers cut water use. One example is the district’s high-efficiency toilet program, which has installed 10,500 toilets in the last five years, saving 113 million gallons. The SCVWD has also provided recycled water and encouraged its use throughout the county to reduce demand on traditional sources. Its water conservation efforts since 1992 have saved 1.42 billion kWh and prevented the emissions of over 700 million pounds of GHG.

• View the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Award Winners
• Find out how your district can save
• View SCVWD’s conservation page

Until recently, U.S. green building rating systems have largely failed to address renovations of existing homes, particularly so-called multi-family dwellings like apartment buildings. That is set to change thanks to Berkeley-based nonprofit, Build It Green. The group has secured grants to expand its existing GreenPoint Rated system to include such larger residential buildings, hopefully within a year.

This is great news for homeowners, apartment dwellers, and planet earth alike. While new homes tend to get a lot of attention from green raters, it is existing residential buildings, especially older homes and apartments, that account for the majority of energy use and that, in many ways, have the most to gain from green makeovers.

The new rating system also bodes well for green developers since buildings certified as green tend to be more valuable than their less-green peers, sell more quickly, and retain tenants longer, according to industry watchers.

Build it Green’s innovative efforts won them a Flex Your Power Award in 2008 and their rating system continues to help ensure that California homes are cutting energy use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• Read background: “Build It Green’s Next Step: Apartment Retrofits,” by Jusitn Moresco (earth2tech, 3/20/09).
• Related: “LEED Buildings Saving Money and Energy,” (e-Newswire, 12/03/08)
• Related: “21 Ways to Save Energy and Water in an Apartment,” (e-Newswire, 3/10/09)

(Image: Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center )

The Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center provides free, high-quality learning programs for low-income mothers and their children. In 2005 the Learning Center moved to a new location and renovated the building to be highly energy efficient, reducing energy use by 52% and saving 122,110 gallons of water annually. Features include lighting control systems, high efficiency lamps, extensive use of day lighting, increased roof insulation, a high efficiency furnace, and an 18 kW PV system. The center also received water efficiency upgrades including a permeable concrete paving parking area, low water use landscaping, and water efficient plumbing fixtures.

• View the winners of the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards
• Read Flex Your Power’s Best Practices Guide for Commercial Office Buildings
• Find rebates, incentives and services for your business, searchable by ZIP code, with Flex Your Power’s Rebate Locator

LA Apollo Alliance goes to city hall. August 2008. (Photo: Flickr)

With state and local treasuries and job markets in crisis, cities all over California are looking for ways to cut costs and boost employment. Lowering operational costs are a good place to start and that is precisely what the City of Los Angeles is doing with help from the LA Apollo Alliance.

After an initial economic study, the campaign, “Apollo Challenge,” was launched in August of 2006 when over 500 residents converged at a church in South LA along with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Council President Eric Garcetti and local Councilman Herb Wesson. These city officials signed the “Apollo Challenge” and committed to working with the Alliance to create green workforce and economic development strategies. In June of 2007 the city council established a City Retrofit Jobs Task Force that included council members, city agencies and LA Apollo Alliance representatives to lead the work.

The LA Apollo Alliance is now getting Los Angeles to invest in water and energy retrofits for hundreds of city buildings. The “Apollo Challenge” will reduce greenhouse gases and save the city up to $10 million in energy costs per year, while establishing a Green Career Ladder Training Program for low-income residents.

The program’s approach simultaneously cuts city operational costs from energy and water use while boosting employment, and thus, income taxes that feed back into city treasuries. As long as the payrolls of the workers don’t outpace the savings from energy efficiency and water conservation, cities may find themselves with a winning ticket.

• Read background: “Los Angeles Apollo Alliance Partners with City to Create Jobs and Opportunities in Green Retrofits,” (www.greenforall.org)

(Image: California Academy of Sciences)

The California Academy of Sciences is a shining example of dedication to energy efficiency and energy awareness. The newly renovated museum is now the largest public LEED platinum building in the world. It harbors a variety of green features including radiant floor heating, natural light and ventilation, renewable energy, water efficient fixtures, recycled building materials, and a living roof. In addition to building green, the Academy focuses on sustainability education, offering interactive exhibits to encourage visitors to reduce their carbon consumption and take daily action to save energy. Exhibits are designed to instill a sense of wonder about the natural world and to allow visitors from around the world an opportunity to learn about our planet, and how best to preserve a sustainable future.

• View the winners of the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards
• Read Flex Your Power’s Best Practices Guide for Commercial Office Buildings
• Find rebates, incentives and services for your business, searchable by ZIP code, with Flex Your Power’s Rebate Locator

(Image: UC Irvine)

The University of California Irvine is leading the way in energy and water efficiency, reducing its electrical demand by up to 15,000 kW, yielding a peak savings of 68% and saving nearly 4 million gallons of water annually. A cogeneration plant on campus captures heat produced by electrical generation, reducing demand from regional sources and saving the university an estimated 3.7 million kWh of electricity during the 2007/2008 fiscal year. To save water the University has installed ultra-low-flow urinals and high-efficiency toilets, continues to water its landscaping using 100% reclaimed water, and has implemented a clothes washer replacement program to install ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers in student housing.

• View the winners of the 6th Annual Flex Your Power Awards
• Read Flex Your Power’s Best Practices Guide for Commercial Office Buildings
• Find rebates, incentives and services for your business, searchable by ZIP code, with Flex Your Power’s Rebate Locator