Building Management Hawaii - August/September 2012 - (Page 11)

Let There Be Light A new energy-saving program is put to the test and lights us up. This program is designed to the advantage of the business owner, not anybody else. ~ Alan Hoki of HR Administrators of Hawaii By Aimee Harris L ast year, the Hawaii Restaurant Association (HRA) launched its new Electric Utility Reduction Program. Part of the program addresses one of the largest burdens for businesses—high utility costs for lighting. “We are problem solvers,” says administrator of HRA member services Alan Hoki of HR Administrators of Hawaii. “When our members have needs, they ask us to find solutions. This time the association was charged with creating a no-hassle, energy-saving program.” To address lighting costs, HRA partnered with national brand Philips Lightolier and Republic Energy Services. Together, they evaluate a business’ current lighting program and design a seamless turnkey upgrade. “In our research,” Hoki says, “we discovered that Philips Lightolier already had a consumer program in place. We just had to tweak it to meet our requirements for using local contractors, etc.” But most importantly, Philips met four key requirements—lowinterest funding, guaranteed wattage savings, product warranties, and the filing of all the necessary documents for tax incentives and utility rebates. “A complete package such as this, with no residual issues or paperwork, is ideal for businesses looking for cost savings,” Hoki says. The program’s low-interest loans can be structured so that the payments are equal to the savings generated by the efficient lighting system. This type of “break-even” loan results in no additional out-ofpocket costs. Once the loan is paid, the savings generate a positive cash flow for the company. “Our goal is to reduce a business’ electric power consumption by 50 percent so that it can pay back the loan within a year or up to 18 months,” Hoki says. The program is available to all businesses that strive to lower operation costs, strengthen profitability and improve their environmental footprint … this includes companies such as Trade Publishing Co., the producers of Building Mangement Hawaii magazine. In the heart of Kalihi, Trade is located at the renovated Honolulu Soda Water Factory. For all of its circa 1970s-charm, the building lacks some of today’s basic amenities. Until recently, this included energy-efficient lights, fixtures and ballasts. “Last year, I put changing our overhead lights on my agenda,” says Jim Myers, Trade Publishing’s operations manager. “Each of our old light fixtures held four florescent bulbs, ranging in color. The lights cast a dim, yellowish tone and the fixtures themselves were dated— unattractive.” In addition to wanting to create a well-lit work environment, Trade hoped to reduce its utility cost. “We’re not the typical office building … we run a commercial, off-set printing press six days a week. It uses a ton of energy. We needed to do what we could to reduce costs and consumption,” Myers says. To update its lighting system, Trade Publishing Co. contacted the HRA about its new Electric Utility Reduction Program. For Trade, updating its lighting program meant replacing all of its lights in the foyer, press room and office space. The program installed more than 70 new fixtures, and replaced nearly 300 light bulbs with high efficiency LED, CFL and fluorescent lamps. The outdated recessed lighting, with four 32-watt fluorescent bulbs, lost up to 35 percent of their light due to the old-fashioned prism lenses that trapped the light inside of the units. Those old units were swapped with new architecturally pleasing, soft contoured, direct/indirect Philips Lightolier fixtures. The new fixtures hold only two 28-watt bulbs and reflect all of the light outward, earning an efficiency rating of 90 percent or more. The new lights and fixtures are 60 percent to 65 percent more efficient. On the average, Trade is saving 1,717 kWh per month, or 20,604 kWh per year. (Savings are measured in wattage, as HECO’s rates fluctuate.) “It’s quite impressive,” Myers admits. “We have half as many light bulbs, producing twice as much light. We have so much light, in fact, that some of our staff have said that it’s too bright. In those cases, we’ve unscrewed a bulb and just went with one … but that’s definitely OK, it’s just more energy and more money to be saved.” For more information on cost savings with the Electric Utility Reduction Program, see page 16. lighting www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com BMH August-September 2012 11 http://www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Management Hawaii - August/September 2012

Cover August/September 2012
Contents
A New Way to Ride
Going up?
Let There Be Light
Be LED, But Not Astray
LED Illumination
Plumbing Claims
Corrosion Clean Out
Security FAQ’s
Security Checklist
Raising The Bar for Security Guards
On Site: Empowering Employees
Ask An Expert: Shifting Soil
Association Updates
Movers & Shakers
Industry News
Resource Guide: Plumbing & Wastewater Maintenance

Building Management Hawaii - August/September 2012