A small youth detention facility is launching its energy reduction program. The facility has not done much to date. What recommendations would you make for easy first steps to reducing energy consumption to a director just starting a formal program?
Joette Storm, APR
Sustainability Coordinator
U-Med Green District
First Actions to Reduce Energy Use
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1. Check out information on Energy Star's website for schools: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=k12_schools.bus_schoolsk12
California's Flex Your Power website has some good tips, but the rebate info is just for California.
http://www.fypower.org/inst/
Alliance to Save Energy has some good student curriculum tips and resources:
http://ase.org/section/_audience/educators/edtools
2. Contact your local utility to find out if they offer a facility audit or other consultation service. Your facility manager (or whoever pays the energy bills) probably has an account rep at the utility -- that is the person to start with to sign up for efficiency services and rebates. Search http://www.dsireusa.org/ for rebates in your area.
You can progress from there to identify a contractor for larger projects. Some utilities have lists of contractors that have expertise in energy efficiency upgrades.
3. Consider partnering with your local community college or city to start an educational or retrofit program at your facility. Maybe your local government received some Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant funds (EECBG)that you could access -- but time is quickly running out on getting access those funds!
Good luck!,
1. Check out information on Energy Star's website for schools: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=k12_schools.bus_schoolsk12
California's Flex Your Power website has some good tips, but the rebate info is just for California.
http://www.fypower.org/inst/
Alliance to Save Energy has some good student curriculum tips and resources:
http://ase.org/section/_audience/educators/edtools
2. Contact your local utility to find out if they offer a facility audit or other consultation service. Your facility manager (or whoever pays the energy bills) probably has an account rep at the utility -- that is the person to start with to sign up for efficiency services and rebates. Search http://www.dsireusa.org/ for rebates in your area.
You can progress from there to identify a contractor for larger projects. Some utilities have lists of contractors that have expertise in energy efficiency upgrades.
3. Consider partnering with your local community college or city to start an educational or retrofit program at your facility. Maybe your local government received some Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant funds (EECBG)that you could access -- but time is quickly running out on getting access those funds!
Good luck!
Gwen Farnsworth
E Source
United States
www.esource.com
You don't say what state you are in. If you are in California, I would contact the California Building Professional Contractor's Association (www.CBPCA.org) and get more information about local contractors to work with. You might also want to work with Rising Sun Energy Center (www.risingSunEnergy.org) which also works with youth and energy. The Executive Director is Jodi Pincus. Rising Sun has several programs that not only teach youth about energy issues and how to do installations, it also specializes in working with youth who have had issues with the law, and teaches them good work skills, such as how to dress, be respectful, show up on time, etc. They have had a lot of success.
If you are outside California, contact the Building Performance Instutute. (www.BPI.org) for the same type of information on hiring a Performance Contractor, who will be able to work with you on doing more than jsut the low-hanging fruit (which leaves you with only the expensive things to do, and which typically never get done.) Good luck, and let me know if you have any additional questions.
-- Alice La Pierre
[email protected]
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States
...
Upgrading lighting is an easy and significant first step that can be initiated at the same time you begin to systematically inventory other 1) places, and 2) ways that energy is used in the facility. Getting people to adopt change is usually harder than changing facilities and energy-using equipment - but there are some people who will adopt change readily if they're involved in conducting the inventory.
Do hire a professional auditor and be sure to have significant staff involved with the audit - the data collection is important as a process that can lead to change. Having maintenance staff become the champions of change is valuable beyond comprehension! You'll save more than you'll spend on a professional auditor.
Don't use the "freebie" checklists assuming you'll get by cheaper, however. Important information is usually ommited because data collection requires some sophisticated equipment to analyze your specific facility. Checklists and "free audits" generalize to "all" facilities means there can be serious errors (leading to indoor air quality problems) from just following the free audits.
Jean Eells
E Resources Group
United States