Energy and Water Conservation
How to Get Started
Energy and Water Conservation
There are some simple actions you can take to start saving energy right now. One is to instruct tenants, building management and/or janitorial staff to turn the lights off when not in use. You can also replace regular lights with compact fluorescent lights or LED’s which use 60 percent less energy than conventional lights. For more detailed information, please consider the following:
Get a Free Energy Audit
There are many companies who will provide a free energy/HVAC audit for your building. Some audits are more encompassing than others. Each action you implement in your building should provide financial benefits to you and environmental benefits. Here are a few resources to get you started:
For more personal service, [e-mail John.DiModica].
Get LEED Certified
Getting LEED Certified will in most cases add value to your building, marketability to tenants, improve your building’s efficiency, and provide measurable environmental benefits. Here are a few resources to get you started.
Contact the Green Roundtable, a nonprofit group dedicated towards implementing sustainable building practices. They will provide you technical assistance in obtaining a feasibility assessment for the LEED Existing Building program along with other asset management initiatives.
Contact information:
Green Roundtable
38 Chauncy St., 7th Floor
Boston, MA, 02111
Tel: (617) 374-3740
[e-mail info]
For more information on getting your building LEED certified, visit: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221 and
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=913
Conserve Water
There are many strategies to conserve water. One simple action you can take is to replace water appliances and fixtures as they wear out with water-saving models. Many water saving investments can be recouped within the first year or two, resulting in substantial ongoing savings. For more information:
Contact the Mass. Water Resources Authority for more information: (617) 242-6000 http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/04water/html/bullet4.htm
The WAVE Program (Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency) is an EPA program designed to focus attention on the value of water and the need for efficient use of this important natural resource. The WAVE Program is a voluntary program which encourages office buildings to implement and install water saving techniques and equipment. Participants receive free water management software and technical support, which help them to evaluate potential economic benefits from conserving water.
For further information about how WAVE might be used in New England, contact Barbara McGonagle or visit EPA-Headquarter's Web site (EPA HQ). Here are some other helpful links about the program:
http://www.epa.gov/boston/eco/drinkwater/water_conservation_biz.html http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/http://www.epa.gov/owm/index.htm
Click here to see how one building was able to achieve 60% water savings.
For more information, or to get involved e-mail Eco-challenge.