Friday, February 19, 2010

How Healthcare Clients Cut Energy Costs

Healthcare Project Management News Release

Well-known Healthcare project management firm Empire Projects, Inc. (www.empireprojects.com) is pleased to announce the publication of a new article on Healthcare energy reduction strategies. The article will be published in the Healthcare Newspaper, where Mr. Bernstein writes a monthly column on Healthcare design and Healthcare construction.

The article discusses some of the various strategies that Healthcares are using to reduce energy costs, and thereby reduce Healthcare operating costs. Below is a highlight of some of these energy saving strategies:
- chiller-power optimization software
- solar panels on the garage roof
- turning off equipment that does not need to run 24/7
- replace/repair steam traps to improve efficiency
- replace light bulbs with more energy efficient bulbs
- combined heat and power (CHP) system
- utilize solar energy, as well as energy saving smart meters.
- derive electricity from wind energy
- energy-efficient lighting
- retrofit of heating and ventilation system
- heat captured by energy plant, and turned into steam
- installation of new cooling towers
- new boiler burners
- new windows
- new roof
- chiller optimization
- installation of efficient motors
- lighting improvements
- centralized building management system.
- new computer program to monitor power settings for PCs
- saving wastewater previously being wasted, better management of HVAC cooling water, reducing the number of cycles that the boiler runs
- adding a “SolarWall” air heating system
- changing incandescent lamps to fluorescent lamps
- replacing T12 fixtures with T5 or T8 fixtures
- utilizing LED lighting instead of non-LED where feasible
- installing variable air volume HVAC systems (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) instead of constant volume handling systems, where the unit is either on or off.

The article also discusses the Five Steps for Healthcares to Become Energy Star Rated:
- Step 1: “Retrocommission” your operations (ensure that systems are installed correctly and will operate according to needs)
- Step 2: Conduct a lighting evaluation (generally with goal of: replacing inefficient lighting, increasing lighting controls, and ensuring that lighting levels are correct)
A proper lighting evaluation has three components, Reed said.
- Step 3; Achieve supplemental load reductions (reduce “plug load’ through judicious selection of energy efficient equipment)
- Step 4: Upgrade the air handling system (variable air volume instead of constant volume)
- Step 5: Right-size the building’s chiller (can be done once steps 1-4 are complete, and heat gain is reduced so that less cooling is required)

A final subject of the article is the Healthcare Energy Alliance, noting that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established the Healthcare Energy Alliance (HEA) to help increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the Healthcare industry

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About Empire Projects, Inc.:

Founded in 1990, this well known project management firm advocates “smart renovations” for all building types. Amongst the firm’s project management specialties: Healthcare project management and healthcare project management.

For more information about project management services, please see: http://empireprojects.com/services/

For more information about healthcare project management services, please see: http://empireprojects.com/healthcare-project-management/

For more information on how Healthcares can reduce energy costs, please contact:

Empire Projects, Inc.
(Project Management Consultants and Owner's Representatives)
1201 Broadway - #803, New York, NY 10001
T: 212-463-0800
info@empireprojects.com
www.empireprojects.com

Additional ways to follow Empire Projects, Inc. include:

Empire Projects, Inc. on Twitter: https://twitter.com/empireprojects
Empire Projects, Inc.on Blogger: http://empireprojects.blogspot.com/
Empire Projects, Inc. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empire-projects-inc.
Empire Projects, Inc. on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empireprojectsusa/

Monday, February 8, 2010

Smart Renovation Focus at Empire Projects, Inc.

Empire Projects, Inc., a well known project management consultant firm, is pleased to announce several Smart Renovation initiatives.

To complement the firm’s focus on how a Smart Renovation can benefit projects of all types, the firm’s president --- William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA --- has recently written article on the Smart Renovation concept, created a Smart Renovation blog (www.smartrenovation.blogspot.com), and has initiated a Smart Renovation Twitter account (www.smartrenovations.twitter.com)

For more information about project management services, please see: http://empireprojects.com/services/

For more information on how the “smart renovation” approach can help you build smarter, faster, and at lower cost --- without sacrificing design or, please contact owner representative Empire Projects, Inc.:

Empire Projects, Inc.
(Project Management Consultants and Owner's Representatives)
1201 Broadway - #803, New York, NY 10001
T: 212-463-0800
info@empireprojects.com
www.empireprojects.com

Additional ways to follow Empire Projects, Inc. include:

Empire Projects, Inc. on Twitter: https://twitter.com/empireprojects
Empire Projects, Inc.on Blogger: http://empireprojects.blogspot.com/
Empire Projects, Inc. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empire-projects-inc.
Empire Projects, Inc. on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empireprojectsusa/

Smart Renovation Plan by Port Philip

http://www.enviroehub.com.au/9-sustainability-challenges/our-built-environment/the-smart-renovation-action-plan

Sunday, February 7, 2010

New Article Published on Smart Renovations

Empire Projects, Inc., a well known project management firm, is pleased to announce the publication of an article on smart renovations, by the company president, William N. Bernstein, LEED®AP, AIA.

Highlights of this article on smart renovations:

- Definition of the term “smart renovation”
- Increasing efficiency and creating a healthier environment
- Retro-commissioning
- Reasons to utilize green design
- Federal support for green renovations
- Green renovation ideas
- Lighting strategies
- Energy saving ideas involving HVAC: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
- Other improvements aim at decreasing energy usage more directly.
- Some of the most popular and extravagant green ideas are solar panels and wind turbines for supplemental energy, geo-thermal heating, and Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs,) but these are all large investments.
- Similarly, green improvements may not be about saving money but rather more about environmental impact.
- Many organizations and homeowners have purchased renewable building materials
- Other ways smart design can improve the workplace
- Smart design and green design are not necessarily the same thing.
- A number of companies have reaped the rewards of investing in better light and climate conditions and have seen huge returns on this investment.
- Smart renovations may mean adapting to modern technologies as well.
- The emphasis on smart design and smart renovation has been a growing trend in recent years. - Smart renovations have significant benefits for both landlords and businesses, such as significant increases in building value and therefore prices (a good renovation can increase the rental value by 25% or more.) It’s definitely a good idea for any building that would benefit from the improvements listed above.
- As for houses, it’s possible to renovate on a job-by-job basis. The more improvements one is able to make, the better the house will function and the more valuable it will be.
- Implications for Medical Facilities
- For medical facilities, the same rules apply as they do for other buildings.

For more information about project management services, please see: http://empireprojects.com/services/

- In terms of improving workflow, it can be a difficult but rewarding process for medical facilities.
For more information on how the “smart renovation” approach can help you build smarter, faster, and at lower cost --- without sacrificing design or, please contact:

Empire Projects, Inc.
(Project Management Consultants and Owner's Representatives)
1201 Broadway - #803, New York, NY 10001
T: 212-463-0800
info@empireprojects.com
www.empireprojects.com

Additional ways to follow Empire Projects, Inc. include:

Empire Projects, Inc. on Twitter: https://twitter.com/empireprojects
Empire Projects, Inc.on Blogger: http://empireprojects.blogspot.com/
Empire Projects, Inc. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empire-projects-inc.
Empire Projects, Inc. on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empireprojectsusa/