Sustainable Facility - November 2008 - (Page 19)

Traditionally, janitorial crews work at night. Lighting a building and running HVAC after office hours to accommodate a handful of cleaning personnel is not an efficient or sustainable practice. While most buildings continue to consume energy throughout the night, the EPA’s evening closing time means the building can be “turned off ” for 10 hours — or 42 percent — of each day. This results in a substantial reduction in energy expenses and light pollution. In 2007 alone, daytime cleaning reduced the building’s energy costs by 28 percent, saving building ownership nearly $250,000 ($.80/square foot). Beyond financial benefits, daytime janitorial services also improve the quality of life of the janitorial staff, as well as the quality of cleaning. With daytime hours, janitorial workers can attend their children’s school and extracurricular functions and spend more time with their families. Because daytime services are sought-after among janitorial workers, buildings that adopt the practice also attract premium cleaning personnel and experience less turnover in the janitorial staff. “I’m lucky to be a part of a daytime staff,” said Raf Mata, a janitorial supervisor at Rafael the building. “Daytime hours allow me to build eat dinn with my family and tuck my kids dinner in at nigh night.” With janitorial staff working alongside ofﬁce emp employees, there is frequent face-to-face contact, increasing trust and respect in the workplac Janitors are no longer viewed as workplace. members of an invisible workforce but are recogniz as an integral part of the buildrecognized ing’s professional community. The daytime pro cleaning practice has in increased camaraderie among staff. Shortly after the building am opened EPA employees began greeting memopened, bers of the janitorial crew by name. Tenant demand for high-security, limitedaccess areas within their leased space is a growing trend in commercial buildings. Often, property managers with nighttime janitorial practices receive requests for special day janitorial service appointments to coincide with the presence of certain staff members. Daytime janitorial service alleviates this problematic scheduling of service outside of normal nighttime hours, since the janitorial staff ’s hours take place when the tenant is present to act as a security escort. The janitorial staff ’s availability also makes the work environment a healthier one, as the crew can be notiﬁed immediately about any janitorial requests, allowing less time for spills and trash to attract bacteria ■ The 292,000-square-foot Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 Headquarters in Denver employs a daytime janitorial service that revolves around an 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. workday, during which janitors work side-by-side with ofﬁce professionals. >> Photo courtesy of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, (c) Robert Canﬁeld Photography. Beyond ﬁnancial beneﬁts, daytime janitorial services also improve the quality of life of the janitorial staff, as well as the quality of cleaning. and bugs — whether it’s a spill in the conference room, a full wastebasket or a bathroom that needs to be refreshed, quick janitorial attention supports the long-term maintenance of the building and goes hand-in-hand with higher tenant satisfaction. With cleaning taking place during the day, EPA employees also appreciate the fact that green cleaning agents are used throughout the building to shield employees from harmful chemicals, which in turn is better for the environment. Applying simple cleaning techniques, like spraying products directly onto a cloth instead of a window to release fewer chemicals into the surrounding air, contribute to a greener, healthier workspace. “As we’ve seen with the EPA building, daytime janitorial services bring enormous beneﬁts to the environment and the staff, as well as to the building’s bottom line,” said W W W . S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y. C O M 19 http://WWW.SUSTAINABLEFACILITY.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Facility - November 2008

Sustainable Facility - November 2008 Contents Editorial Industry Watch Web TOC New and Notable The Case for Daytime Cleaning Commitment to Energy Effi ciency and Sustainability Finding the Green Solar for the Commercial and Industrial Sector: What’s Hot Now? Connecting Sustainability and Green Cleaning Recycling Rechargeable Batteries Sharing Best Practices The Consultant Conundrum Sharing the Facilities Management Burden The Building Owner’s and Operator’s Sustainability Solution: Energy Audits Greenbuild: Green Product Buzz Guide Product Focus Marketplace and Classifieds Advertiser’s Index Initiatives

Sustainable Facility - November 2008

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