November 29, 2004—The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has launched an “Online Guide to Energy-Efficient Commercial Equipment” to help businesses invest wisely to control costs by reducing consumption through efficiency, and to protect the environment while doing so. According to ACEEE, energy services cost commercial businesses about $100 billion a year, an average of about $1.50 per square foot of commercial floor space.
The “Online Guide to Energy-Efficient Commercial Equipment” addresses critical needs in three areas common to commercial buildings: lighting; heating, air conditioning, and ventilating systems; and energy-efficient motors.
- Lighting accounts for more than 40% of commercial sector electricity consumption in the US. Its by-product, heat, has a great effect on air-conditioning loads. Best practice lighting provides equal or greater lighting quality while cutting energy use by up to 50%—even for buildings with fluorescent lamps throughout. Side benefits include improved building appearance and aesthetics, and also increased building asset value.
- HVAC systems have improved due to remarkable advances in the past decade. For small buildings, performance far better than building code requirements is widely available, often with integrated ventilation and “economizer” sections that improve air quality and control costs. For larger systems, the equipment is better—and there is also much more awareness of how to minimize “parasitic” loads like air handlers.
- Energy-efficient motors to handle building needs are much more easily chosen now because of new programs to certify premium motor performance.
In addition, office equipment, packaged refrigeration, ice-makers, and even distribution transformers are available that work reliably while saving money. All are included in the “Online Guide to Energy-Efficient Commercial Equipment.”
