Oregon DEQ: Land Quality - Solid Waste - Commercial Waste Reduction Clearinghouse - Success Stories - Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Business: Barker-Halland Insurance Company (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 21

Vignette

Lighting retrofit reduced electricity use by 34%. The retrofit includes replacing T-12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts, removing lamps in areas that were overlit, and replacing standard "screw-in" incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. The retrofit cost $880 (after a utility rebate and Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit). FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $717/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 13,812 kWh/year.

Installed a new high-efficiency variable speed condensing gas furnace and replaced an undersized air conditioner. Also replaced a continuous speed fan with a variable speed fan that uses approximately 42% less electricity. The fan runs at a lower speed when the building isn’t being heated or cooled. While these changes will reduce energy use, they will also significantly improve employee comfort, and thus productivity. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $429/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 6,990 kWh/year (electricity) and 217 therms/year (natural gas).

Implementing a fully-electronic system for storing, accessing, and changing customer records. This is expected to save considerable time and paper. RESOURCE SAVINGS: about 9 cases of paper per year.

Uses remanufactured toner cartridges. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $360/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 45 pounds/year.

Recycles office paper. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $270/year.

Purchases stationery and paper towels manufactured from recycled paper.

Sends faxes electronically where possible; or uses small sticky notes or 1/2 page fax covers rather than full page covers.

Insulated hot water heater.

Placed bathroom lights on a crank-style timer, so that they can’t be accidentally left on.

Case Study

Case study exists.

Business: Bend Community School (Bend)

Number of Employees: 3

Vignette

Placed signs above light switches and next to computers to turn lights and computers "off" when not in use. Set thermostats back at night. Turned down water temperature from 135o to 120o Fahrenheit. Installed 1.5 gallon-per-minute aerators on faucets at hand-washing sinks. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $210/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 3,000 kWh/year and 13,000 gallons/year of water.

Reduced paper use by encouraging double-sided copying, placing a bin next to the copy machine with "draft" paper (paper that is already used on one side, but can be reused), and turning off the automatic transmission report on the fax machine.

Case Study

None

Business: Brothers’ Restaurant (Ashland)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

Replaced most standard incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Installed controls to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.

Sealed areas where cold air leaked in the building.

Replaced inefficient ductwork.

Installed faucet aerators to reduce water use.

Raised awareness among staff to point out drips and leaks and not run water unnecessarily.

FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $600/year (all activities).

Case Study

Call Oregon Office of Energy, 1-800-221-8035

Business: Cannon Beach City Hall (Cannon Beach)

Number of Employees: 19

Vignette

Eliminated blank pages between print jobs. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $23/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 39 pounds of paper (8 reams)/year.

Converted public notices to a self-mailer (without an envelope). FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $35/year.

Converted heat pump for City Council chambers from electric to natural gas and installed a 24-hour, 7-day thermostat. Since the chambers are used on an infrequent and inconsistent schedule, employees were also trained to be more conscientious about turning the settings down when leaving the room. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: estimated at $422/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 5,560 kWh/year (electricity) and 124 therms/year (natural gas).

Staff check furnace filters every 2-3 months and replace with new filters if needed.

Installed toilet "dummies" (sealed bags filled with a weight, such as rocks) in the tanks of all toilets. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $30/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 7,800 gallons/year.

The sidewalk in front of City Hall is now swept rather than hosed. Sweeping takes no more time than hosing the sidewalk down and uses no water. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $16/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 3,120 gallons/year.

Installed faucet aerators on all sinks, saving energy and water.

Case Study

None

Business: Columbia Gorge Veterinary Clinic (Hood River)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

Installed a ventilation system that reduces the need for air conditioning by using fresh outside air during morning and evening hours. This reduced electricity use by 25-30% and had a two-year payback.

Upgraded lighting and lighting controls and insulated the hot water heater, reducing electricity use another 15-20%. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $225/year.

Installed faucet aerators and a toilet tank displacement to reduce water use.

Reconfigured margins and simplified a medical form to fit onto one page of paper.

Reuses large envelopes and file folders.

Case Study

Call Hood River Green Smart, 541-386-2000.

Business: Computer Renaissance (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 4

Vignette

Repaired a toilet leak. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $192/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 67,300 gallons/year.

Installed faucet aerator on employee sink. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $5/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 1,750 gallons/year.

Set unoccupied heat/cool on thermostat to 55/85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Turn off all computers and monitors at night. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $191/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 3,475 kWh/year.

Case Study

None

Business: Corvallis Area Chamber of Commerce (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 12

Vignette

Monthly newsletter is mailed to members without a manila envelope ("self-mailer"). FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $2,100/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 520 pounds of envelopes/year.

Staff have been educated to turn computers off at night and monitors off when not in use. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $380/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 6,900 kWh/year.

Staff have also been educated to turn off lights when they leave the room. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $53/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 850 kWh/year.

Aerators were installed on bathroom faucets to reduce water use and the energy to heat it. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $61/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 26 therms (gas) and 6,300 gallons (water)/year.

Programmable, 24-hour, 7-day thermostats were installed to automatically reduce heating and cooling during unoccupied times.

Ceramic mugs are provided at meetings for guests who don’t want to use disposables. The mugs are then washed in the on-site dishwasher. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $24/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 15 pounds of disposable cups/year.

In over-lit offices, some light bulbs were removed to save energy and reduce the lighting to comfortable levels. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $62/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 1,000 kWh/year, plus light bulbs.

Employees have been educated how to use paper more efficiently in the printers (such as reducing margins and line spacing), how to copy on both sides of the page, and alternatives to full page fax cover sheets. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $74/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 74 pounds of paper/year (about 1-1/2 cases).

Case Study

None

Business: Corvallis City Shop (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 16

Vignette

The Corvallis City Shop is heated by a boiler which heats water. The water is circulated through a series of fans (blowers) located throughout the building. The City discovered that the boiler had been disconnected from its time clock, and was running ‘round the clock. The City reconnected the boiler to the time clock so that the boiler only runs during occupied hours. In addition, the City installed a thermometer and control device to decrease the boiler temperature as the outside temperature increases. These measures cut natural gas use at the City Shop by more than 50%. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $2,500/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 1,180 therms/year (natural gas).

Repaired a leak in a shop sink. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $12/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 4,400 gallons/year.

Case Study

None

Business: Corvallis Gazette-Times (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 110

Vignette

Upgraded its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Four controls were added to sense outside air temperature and adjust the heating and cooling system accordingly. A new direct digitally controlled fan with variable speed intake was installed to increase the use of "free" outside air to cool the building during morning and evening hours. The increased fresh air intake into the building is expected to improve indoor air quality as well as employee comfort and productivity, while reducing energy bills. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $11,500/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 123,000 kWh/year and 12,921 therms (natural gas)/year.

Discovered that the float valve on the roof-top cooling tower was stuck in the ‘open’ position and was flooding the cooling tower with wasted water. Fixing the float valve cut water use by 64%. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $2,900/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 2,480,000 gallons/year.

Case Study

None

Business: Doubletree Hotels [formerly Red Lion Hotels] (Portland)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

By filtering and recycling water, the central laundry facility saves $35,900 annually in water costs and $16,000 annually in natural gas costs. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $51,900/year.

Other comprehensive energy and water conservation measures include energy management control systems for heating, cooling, and lighting; chillers connected for more efficient operation; converting incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents; exit sign retrofits; more efficient ballasts in fluorescent fixtures; adjustable speed drives on fan motors; automatic fan controls for individual guest rooms; low-flow showerheads and faucets; and toilet tank adapters to reduce the amount of water used per flush. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: more than $200,000/year.

Case Study

Call the City of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, 503-823-7222.

Business: Hood River Electric Cooperative (Hood River)

Number of Employees: 12

Vignette

Reduced energy use approximately 30%.

T-12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts were replaced with T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts in all areas where the lights are used on a regular basis. Incandescent bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescents in other high-use areas, such as the entryway and restrooms.

Installed a ground-source heat pump, which warms and cools the building by pumping heat from or to the soil. This system replaced electric resistance heating and a separate air conditioning unit in the ducts of the air handling system. Connecting a standard electric water heater into a heat exchanger circuit with the heat pump compressor further supplies most of the building’s hot water.

Controls further reduce energy use when the equipment is not in use. This includes a programmable thermostat for the heat pump system, and low-power/"sleep" modes for computers, printers, and the photocopier.

RESOURCE SAVINGS: 32,000 kWh/year. 32,000 kWh/year.

Improved its irrigation system by replacing "rain bird" type impulse sprinklers with drip emitters and "micro-sprinklers" to use less water. Placement of mulch around landscaping also conserves water by reducing evaporation.

The shop floor is now swept rather than hosed down, further saving water.

The electric cooperative is switching to a longer-lasting electric cable that reduces material use (replacement) and labor costs. Although the longer-lasting cable costs more up-front, it is expected to reduce overall costs from anywhere between 19% and 57% after replacement costs (including labor) are factored in.

The office reuses file folders, cuts old paper into notepads, and purchased a duplexing unit as an option when replacing an older copy machine to allow two-sided copying.

Case Study

Call Hood River Green Smart, 541-386-2000.

Business: Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

Replaced two water heaters with higher efficiency models.

Reduced thermostat settings for both water and space heating systems.

Installed energy-efficient lights and controls.

FINANCIAL SAVINGS: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival expects to save around $5,000/year as a result of these three changes.

Case Study

Call Oregon Office of Energy, 1-800-221-8035

Business: Tualatin High School (Tualatin)

Number of Employees: ~100

Vignette

Encourage teachers and students to copy, print, and write on both sides of the page.

Eliminated print overruns of the school newspaper. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $1,260/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 260 pounds/year.

Use a posting policy to discourage excess posters; install more bulletin boards, reduce number of posters. This reduces high custodial costs repainting damaged walls.

Classroom garbage can liners are no longer changed every night unless obviously soiled. Lunchroom garbage can liners are only pulled between lunches if more than half full.

Replaced paper food trays for a la carte items with wax tissue pickups. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $458/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 320 pounds/year.

A mulching mower is used everywhere except the football field and baseball diamond. This saves mowing time, hauling expenses, and garbage bags. It also returns nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, reducing lawn fertilizer needs. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: more than $10,000/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 37,800 pounds/year.

Purchase cleaning solutions in concentrate. A dispenser unit is used to mix the concentrates with water at the correct ratio. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $300/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 350 pounds/year.

Purchase remanufactured laser printer cartridges rather than new cartridges. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $1,200/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 72 pounds/year

Built in 1991, the school features glazed and double-paned windows, electronic ballasts, advanced fluorescent lights, and computer controlled heating and cooling. As a result of these design features, Tualatin High School uses 36% less energy per square foot of building space than the district’s other high school. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: approximately $35,000/year.

Case Study

Case study exists, call Metro, 503-234-3000.