Archive for the ‘Green Energy’ Category

Step Up To 80% Savings With Stairwell Lighting Controls

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Here is an article I found that I thought you would be interested in. Lutron just released their smart line of stairwell fixtures. Making use of a wireless occupancy sensor and dimming ballast, you can finally take control of the areas in your building that are constantly lighted. Thus reducing the amount of energy wasted by your building.Lutron Stairwell Fixture

Light control manufacturer Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., is proud to introduce the new Stairwell Retrofit Solution that automatically adjusts light output based on stairwell occupancy.

The new Stairwell Retrofit Solution utilizes a lighting fixture with a Lutron digital dimming ballast preprogrammed to occupied and unoccupied light levels specific to a project’s code requirements. The fixture receives a signal from Radio Powr Savr™ occupancy sensors via reliable Lutron Clear Connect™ RF technology. The solution’s design features separate fixture and sensor components which allow for the flexibility to determine occupancy sensor quantities, mounting configuration, and placement requirements based on the stairwell design.

Through high-end trim and occupancy sensing, the stairwell retrofit solution provides the opportunity to save over 80% of lighting energy usage. Added benefits include simple installation, flexible grouping of fixtures and sensors, and the opportunity to meet codes and standards (ASHRAE 90.1 2010 and IgCC). (more…)

Economist Vs. Conservationist: Everybody Saves Money

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

There are two types of people that are actively seeking a lighting retrofit. The first would be what I call the conservationist and the second is the economist. Each person has their own reasons for why they are seeking energy efficiency and the end result for each is the same. They both save on natural resources while simultaneously saving ones budget.

The Conservationist

Recognizing the need for a lighting retrofit may be different for the conservationist than it would be for the economist. The conservationist may be more concerned with the age of technology that is found in their facility. Outdated types of lighting can contain hazardous materials within the lamps and every time a lamp burns out you must recycle them to avoid these materials leaking back into our environment. Older technology is prone to having an exorbitant amount of these materials in order to make the lamps work. Plus they usually will have a poor lamp life thus meaning more maintenance is required to safely handle the materials. (more…)

Low Hanging Fruit

Monday, April 4th, 2011

If your responsibilities include overseeing your company’s operations or even managing the assets of a property, I’m sure you have heard of the “Low Hanging Fruit” concept. I’m going to show you how to think outside of the box and rethink your definition of “Low Hanging Fruit.”

It’s no secret that the lighting for a typical office building consumes 40% of its electric bill. So most of us would think the low hanging fruit can be found within the lighting, and that’s true. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can find out what the low hanging fruit is for your given lighting situation. A quick Google search shows us that if you replace all of the T12 lamps with T8 lamps in an office building, you can achieve energy savings of up to 50% or more. But what if you are managing the assets of several office buildings and you already tackled the T12 issue, what’s next? What if I told you to reevaluate your T8 lighting? What if I told you that replacing your T8 lighting with T8 lighting could save an additional 40% on your energy consumption, would you think that I was crazy? It even gets better, what if I told you that you don’t even need to replace your existing light fixtures and 99% of office buildings are great candidates for this lighting retrofit. Would you call that low hanging fruit, I would?

I would be glad to share some of these concepts with you in more detail, however every building is different. If you wish to discuss these concepts in detail or would like more information on how to tackle your low hanging fruit, feel free to contact me directly.

 

Junior Thomason, CEA

Energy Solutions Manager

Oliver Energy Solutions

jthomason@oliverelectric.com

Interview with the King!

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting one of the most iconic individuals in the “Green” community, Gary Walker, The King of Green. Gary and his wife Trish host the only all Green radio program here in Kansas City, “Going Green with the King”, as well as maintain the first all “Green” commercial janitorial business in Kansas City, Magic Touch Cleaning.

When I met with Gary to discuss my being a guest on his radio program, I immediately realized why they call him the King. As soon as I stepped into their production studio, Gary greeted me with a big smile on his face and he was wearing a huge pair of gold Elvis glasses. His jovial attitude toward his production crew, his wife, and myself made it really enjoyable to be a part of his radio program. He made the interview fun, not nerve racking.

Over the course of the next hour or so we discussed emerging trends in lighting concepts, design, and how to overcome some lighting challenges with simple design concepts for various real world applications. The radio program will air today, 3/4/11 at 12:30 p.m. (central) on KCXL Kansas City or stream it live at www.kcxl.com. In case you are reading this and you didn’t get a chance to hear it live, many of Gary’s radio programs are archived on iTunes.

Utility Rates on the Rise Again

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

With all of the recent talk about KCP&L’s Iatan 2 power plant going over budget, now is a better time than any to discuss what happens to your operating expenses when your utility rates rise. It may seem like a now brainer, that when energy costs go up, your monthly expenses go up too. However, lets use some real world examples to show you how drastic it will affect your monthly and annual budget.

It’s no secret that KCP&L went over budget by almost 100% building the Iatan 2 power plant located near Weston, Mo. and the result of their mishaps resulted in an official request to raise rates in Missouri 14.5% and in Kansas 11.5%. Steve Everly from the KC Star said, “KCP&L is seeking rate increases of 14.5 percent in Missouri and 11.5 percent in Kansas, in part, to help pay for Iatan 2. If those increases are granted, KCP&L customers’ rates will have increased nearly 50 percent in the past four years.” Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/08/2209483/kcpl-faulted-for-mismanagement.html#ixzz0z8nIzcp7

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