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Learn more about energy-efficient tips and the latest energy-efficient products to help increase profitability by lowering costs.
Energy-Efficient Tips
Energy-Efficient Products
Energy-Efficient Tips
Heating and Cooling
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Heating and cooling comprises 40 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings.
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Make sure your equipment is properly sized. The most efficient sizing will require the heating system to run constantly at full load on the coldest day that the building is designed to handle.
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Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat between the building and the ground. Although they cost more to install, geothermal heat pumps have low operating costs. If the building is located near a body of water, such as a pond or lake, water-source heat pumps can offer similar advantages.
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The heat pipe, originally developed by NASA to cool spacecraft, lowers an air conditioner's energy consumption by 5–10 percent by improving its ability to dehumidify the air.
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Variable speed motors and compressors. Instead of always operating at full power, heat pumps and air conditioners can now operate at various speeds—slow, medium or fast, or any speed in between—thereby closely matching energy use to temperature fluctuation.
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Some sample Web sites for products are shown below.
Water Heating
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Water heating comprises seven percent of the energy used in commercial buildings.
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Faucet aerators should be installed in restrooms, and low-flow showerheads should be installed in any on-site shower facilities.
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Horizontal-axis (front-loading) washing machines can provide significant water savings for institutions with laundries; models with high-speed spin cycles will also save on the cost of clothes drying.
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Low-water-use dishwashing equipment is also available for institutions that have cafeterias on site.
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A heat pump water heater takes the free heat being exhausted by air conditioners, ice makers, or above a cooking line, and then amplifies it to make cheap hot water. It also returns a moderate amount of free air conditioning as a by-product.
Lighting
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Ligting comprises 31 percent of the electrical load in commercial buildings.
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Compact flourescent lights use only 25 percent of the electricity used by incandescent lights, and last up to 10 times as long.
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Electronic ballasts increase flourescent lamp efficiency by up to 25 percent and increase light output by 10–15 percent.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
July 2003
Energy-Efficient Products for Commercial Use
Chillers - High Efficiency
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Electric water-cooled chillers, used to provide air conditioning for larger commercial buildings, have made very impressive efficiency gains over the last 25 years. Even with the phase out of CFC refrigerants, manufacturers have been able to produce machines that are more efficient than units built a few years ago. In the September 1997 issue of the ASHRAE Journal, a table showed the dramatic gains in efficiency at peak loading conditions:
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Another way to look at the table is to look at the Coefficient of Performance (COP) values. For the 1998 vintage chiller, the average peak load COP is 6.06, and the best peak load COP is 7.32, as compared to gas-fired systems having peak load COP's in the 0.7 to 1.1 range.
New machines use HCFC or HFC refrigerants, which reduce potential damage to the ozone layer by 98–100 percent.
Cooking Equipment
There is a wide variety of new cooking technologies to make restaurant and other food service areas more efficient and comfortable. Two examples are:
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Induction Cooking
Induction cooking is one of many advances made in commercial cooking applications. With induction cooking, surfaces stay cool while the food gets warm or hot. The technology uses magnetic friction to deliver heat through coils to the pots or pans on the surface. This prevents the ceramic surface from becoming hot, which prevents burns. The pots that are used must be made of magnetic materials, such as iron or steel, for the best results.
These units have very high efficiency ratings (in terms the amount of heat used for actual cooking versus the total amount of heat delivered by the equipment), especially when compared to gas systems.
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Lightwave Ovens
Can you cook a pizza in less than 90 seconds? With LightWave ovens, you can! With lightwave ovens, tungsten/ halogen lamps are positioned around the interior and computer-controlled "thermal-pulsing" selectively directs energy both into and onto the food. Restaurants get the size, convenience, and speed of a microwave oven, combined with the cooking ability of a regular oven or grill.
Versions of these ovens have been used in commercial restaurants and hotels. Smaller models were available for residential applications, or supplemental commercial applications since 1998.
Cooling Tower Ozonation
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Cooling towers are used to reject heat out of many commercial buildings. However, cleaning the cooling tower equipment means using chlorine and chemicals and system flushing, commonly known as "blowdown". The use and disposal of these chemicals is becoming more expensive.
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However, with an ozone generator, the cooling towers are kept clean, there are no chemicals to dispose of, the equipment operates at higher efficiency, and the only by-products are oxygen and water. There are economic as well as environmental benefits to the use of ozone generators.
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GeoExchange Systems
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GeoExchange heating and cooling systems (also knows and "ground source heat pumps" or "geothermal heat pumps") use the constant temperature of the earth to provide heating comfort in the winter and cooling in the summer time. Along with their higher level of comfort, they provide the highest levels of efficiency for heating and cooling. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed a study and concluded that GeoExchange systems provided the lowest operating costs and best environmental performance, even when compared to advanced fossil fuel systems.
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Studies have shown that GeoExchange systems can save commercial facilities from 30–70 percent on their heating bills, and from 20–50 percent on their cooling bills, compared to standard heating and cooling systems.
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There are now a large number of commercial facilities, such as schools, hotels, college campuses, and office buildings that have experience with the use of these systems, along with builders that are experienced with the installation of such systems.
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Some sample Web sites for products are shown below.
Heat Pump Water Heaters
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In many commercial applications, such as restaurant kitchens and health clubs, heat pump water heaters can provide hot water much more efficiently than standard water heaters, while helping to keep the occupied space at a comfortable temperature.
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Some sample Web sites for products are shown below.
Medical Waste Treatment
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that health care facilities produce about 1.6 million tons of medical waste annually. Typically, the waste is incinerated or sent to special off-site disposal facilities. However, the costs of these treatments is increasing rapidly.
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There are several electric solutions that can be used to treat medical waste and allow the waste to be sent to public landfills. Compared to incineration, these electric solutions can reduce emissions by 6–98 percent.
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Microwave Disinfection
With microwave disinfection, the waste is shredded and combined with high-temperature steam injection and microwave energy. This action disinfects the waste and can product up to 80 percent volume reduction.
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Infrared Sterilization
This process uses far-infrared rays combined with resistance or convective heating to sterilize various types of medical waste. It reduces waste volume by 90 percent and the sterilized waste can be sent to a public landfill.
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Steam Reforming
In a steam reforming system, after the waste is shredded, it is exposed to superheated steam that vaporizes organic liquids and gasifies organic solids. Toxic vapors are drawn into a reactor and heated to break down into less harmful products, and the solid byproducts are disposed of or recycled. Waste volume may be reduced by as much as 98 percent with this process.
Motors - High Efficiency
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For commercial and industrial customers, motors are used for many processes. Motors are used for process equipment, conveyors, air circulation, chilled water circulation pumps, hot water circulation pumps, cooling tower fans, elevators, exhaust fans, and other uses. Many manufacturers make standard and high-efficiency models of motors. Even with the new energy efficiency standards that took effect in late 1997, there are still opportunities for energy efficiency by using premium efficiency models.
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Some sample Web sites for products are shown below.
Ozone Laundry Systems
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There are over 30,000 commercial laundry facilities in the United States, located in hotels, resorts, health service facilities, prisons, and stand-alone companies. Conventional systems use substantial amounts of detergents, chemicals, hot water, and energy. With ozonation systems, ozone is injected into the wash process to clean the clothing or linens.
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With ozonation systems, the amount of chemical usage is reduced significantly. Water usage and wash times are reduced, and textile life is improved. In addition, the systems can reduce the time taken to wash a load. Along with environmental benefits, there are economic benefits as well. There are now over 200 ozone laundry systems being used in the United States.
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Some sample Web sites for products are shown below.
Disclaimer: The following Web sites are provided for information purposes only. EEI does not endorse the manufacturers or distributors shown, nor does it make any guarantee about product performance. EEI is not responsible for any of the content, pricing, or claims on the following Web sites.
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