LOMA LINDA, Calif. — Trane was awarded a $6 million contract to upgrade the HVAC systems at Loma Linda University to help the school increase energy efficiency and meet state regulations for sustainable building.
The school’s two central plants, which serve the campus and the university hospital, have outdated equipment that that fails to meet state standards.
LOVELAND, Colo. — Thompson School District saved more than $1.3 million in operating costs during the last three years due to a districtwide energy savings program.
In 2003, Winona Elementary and Turner Middle School entered a three-year energy savings performance contract with Siemens Building Technologies Inc. to increase energy efficiency and lower operations costs. The company benchmarked and tracked energy use at the district’s 35 buildings before implementing energy-efficient improvements at the two schools.
The Building Owners and Managers Association International offers 10 strategies, ranging from simple operational procedures to upgrades, for creating energy efficiency in commercial buildings.
1. Check that Equipment Is Functioning as Designed
Regularly inspect all equipment and controls to ensure they are functioning as designed. Double check energy management system programming to make sure that operations are optimized. One firm corrected an EMS software programming error from “And” to “Or” and saved $3,700 annually.
2.
DENVER — UMB Bank Colorado , a chartered bank of UMB Financial Corporation, is building the second green here.
The roof will feature drought-resistant plants native to Colorado , including a blue spruce, the state tree.
The roof is designed to decrease the amount of rainwater runoff, and reduce water pollution and the urban heat effect.
SAN DIEGO — Mountain View-based software developer Intuit, producer of TurboTax and QuickBooks, among other products, will establish its regional headquarters at a new $40 million green campus in Carmel Valley.
The 690,000-square-foot site will house three four-story buildings that will incorporate sustainable design and construction features, and Intuit will seek LEED certification for the project, officials say.
HOLIDAY, Fla. — Creative Contractors Inc. was awarded a $14 million contract by the Pasco County School District to build the county’s first green school.
The builders of the 93,000-square-foot Gulf Trace Elementary School will strive to create a healthy indoor environment through the use of low-VOC paints, sealants and adhesives, and wood products without added urea-formaldehyde, a type of adhesive resin used in pressed wood.
SAN FRANCISCO — One of the greenest cities in the country now has a task force in place that will focus on increasing the number and quality of sustainable buildings in the area.
The Green Building Task Force, assembled by Mayor Gavin Newsom as part of his Clean and Green Initiative and Climate Action Plan, is responsible for developing expanded green building standards for all new private construction projects in San Francisco .
WASHINGTION — An American Institute of Architects committee that focuses on sustainable design released the 2007 selections for the top 10 green projects, which include a university research center, a U.S. Courthouse and a water purification facility.
The Committee on the Environment released its selections for the program that started in 1997 in conjunction with Earth Day and the projects were honored May 3 at the American Institute of Architects National Convention in San Antonio .
H. Jay Enck, LEED AP, principal and founder of Commissioning & Green Building Solutions, has executed the commissioning process for more than $1 billion worth of construction projects. But, his approach for commissioning at schools, offices and several other building types goes beyond standard commissioning procedures by examining the design process and re-evaluating buildings years after they are completed.
