Sustainable Facility - November 2008 - (Page 30)

Solar for the Commercial and Industrial Sector WHAT’S HOT NOW? >> BY VICTORIA HOLLICK ■ The Hibbing Annex Courthouse is considered to be one of the most energy-efﬁcient buildings in Saint Louis County, Minn. >> Photos courtesy of Conserval Engineering. ■ Fifty SolarWall systems of varying colors were installed on 28 military buildings, generating 4MW of peak thermal energy at Fort Drum, N.Y. common inaccuracy that often prevails in the building industry is that energy and energy displacement, and therefore solar energy, revolves solely around electricity. This perception has become pervasive, and has been fueled by such things as the numerous articles that reference the fact that close to 40 percent of carbon emitted into the atmosphere in the United States originates from the operations of buildings (which is correct) because of the use of fossil fueled powered electricity generation sources (which is not correct). What is missing here is the heating component. It is a statistical fact that in heating climates, buildings usually use signiﬁcantly more energy for heating purposes than for electricity (i.e., the 40 percent of CO2 emissions that originate from the building sector represents the sum of two types of energy usage — electricity and heating — not just electricity). A EVALUATING THE POTENTIAL FOR SOLAR HEATING In the southern states, it is true that a majority of energy consumption occurs because of air conditioning and electricity. But in the mid to northern latitude states, a signiﬁcant proportion of the CO2 emissions from the building sector arise as 30 S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y NOVE M B E R 2008 a result of heating buildings. Heating ventilation air and general space heating in the spring, winter and fall, as well as water heating throughout the year, usually accounts for upwards of 60 percent or more of a building’s energy usage and corresponding CO2 emissions, and it is this heating component that is so often overlooked. Now, this statement may seem obvious and rudimentary, but reﬂect on how often the “renewable generation of electricity” completely dominates the energy discussion, while not giving adequate consideration to the idea of “renewable generation of heat.” The end result can be that businesses and facility managers overlook some of the most cost-effective solar technologies that target one of the largest usages of energy — i.e., the heating component. And, this component of a company’s operating budget is often one of the most under-targeted areas for cost reduction. Given the increasing and volatile nature of natural gas and heating oil prices, the absolute necessity of addressing a building’s “heating component” is starting to gain traction as facility managers crunch numbers and realize that it can be one of the easiest ways to reduce ongoing costs and free up money that can be directed to more proﬁtable uses. Consider the following example. I was re- cently reading a report in which PricewaterhouseCoopers calculated that in the city of Toronto — which has 4,000 heating degree days, and is therefore comparable to cities like Minneapolis, Detroit or Chicago — 60 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings was for heating, while 40 percent was used for electricity. The proportions were similar for all the other types of buildings examined, as indicated on the graphs on page 32 from the “Background Report on the Energy Plan for Toronto,” done by PriceWaterhouseCooper in June of 2007. So, given that commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings in heating climates use signiﬁcantly more energy for heating purposes than electricity, when facility owners are looking to maximize their renewable energy production, it is ﬁnancially imperative to evaluate the potential for solar heating. CASE STUDY: STEELCARE As shown in the graphs on page 32, the largest single usage of energy in the industrial, commercial and institutional sector is often space heating — speciﬁcally ventilation air heating. It is also the area that can yield the most sizable ﬁnancial savings and offer one of the best energy ROIs on the market. For example, by preheating ventilation air before it enters the building

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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