Sustainability Practice
In DYKEMAN’s ongoing effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we have joined the “Public Utility District (PUD) 10% Challenge” (http://www.JoinThePUDChallenge.com). Our goal, by working with the local utility, is to reduce our electrical consumption by 10% over the next year. To achieve this goal we will:
- Regularly measure and track our energy use every month.
- Develop a detailed funding plan and implementing energy improvements.
- Perform energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits and look at possible rebates.
- Educate employees and clients about the efficient use of power at work and home.
We are using our office as a energy lab to support this program and to learn more about practical ways we can reduce our electrical loads, such as turning off lights and equipment when not in use or occupied. By using a “Kill a Watt" electricity usage monitor you can tell what a given device uses when plugged in. For example, a typical computer in our office when “off” and still plugged in uses 1 watt; in the “hibernate” mode uses 1.1 watts; in “standby mode” uses 1.8 watts; and in “log off” mode uses 72 watts.
The PUD indicated that in the near future T-12 fluorescent lamps will no longer be manufactured, so many of their incentive programs relating to re-lamping will be going away. Did you know that there are 10 different common compact florescent lighting (CFL) lamps that are designed for different uses based on area temperatures for both interior and exterior applications? It is very important to use the best type of CFL that is designed for each application and fixture, or the perceived lamp life and energy savings could be less than expected. For more information visit http://www.snopud.com/efficientlighting. Let us know if you want to learn more about ways to reduce your carbon footprint at the office or home. We will post future updates on how we are doing meeting our 10% Energy Challenge.
Scott Schreffler, LEED, AP
Sustainable Design Coordinator
Project Architect
