Being energy conscious ranks as a priority among facility owners and managers as they watch energy prices increase annually, particularly in the colder months, and some at a rate higher than inflation. In addition, the environmental impact of energy consumption raises concerns as the production of energy creates pollution in the environment around us.

More and more facility owners and managers choose to balance budgeting concerns with their energy and environmental conservation goals. To determine this balance, many owners and managers rely on experts to conduct energy conservation studies, detailed business analyses, and/or operational reviews to determine the strategies or tactics needed to improve any energy inefficiencies.

By reworking their existing systems or by designing a new system, some facility owners and managers have realized a 30 percent return on investment when making improvements.

Here’s what they had to say about their approach to meeting their energy budgetary and environmental goals:

"Conducting a bundle analysis was an effective tool to determine how the various systems and elements of our building affect energy usage and also which systems and elements produce the best energy savings. We've experienced a $27,000 annual savings simply by adding more insulation to areas like the roof and walls, utilizing extensive day lighting, and efficiently designing our mechanical systems."
— Rick Hartig, Wisconsin Department of Administration – Division of State Facilities

"Being under government jurisdiction, we have certain sustainable guidelines we have to follow, which help direct our energy conservation efforts. Because there are so many projects and limited budgets, we work with a team to determine which improvement project will be most cost effective and will give us the biggest payback — both budgetary and environmentally. "
— Mike Horn, Three Rivers Park District/Minnesota

Contact

Scott Sannes, PE
ssannes@sehinc.com