Monthly Archives: December 2019

Tips To Be A Good Facility Manager (For the Sake of Your Engineer)

Speaking as an engineer and a contractor, my job is to use my expertise and experience to help my clients prosper within their specific building or corporate situation. I deal quite a bit with corporate and facility managers who often think very differently about a problem than I, as an engineer, would. I can’t tell a client, under very different pressures than me, how to act in his or her field, but I can and hope to give my opinions here on things for the manager to be aware of to make the exchange of ideas with the engineer or contractor more successful. The facility or corporate manager knows its facility or company and its challenges more than I can ever know. Despite the client communicating such issues, I must work within those limits. I recognize that what I, as an engineer, consider the “best” solution to a problem may not be feasible for the company, given the specific situation, facility, goals, and company.
It works the other way, too. Facility and corporate managers must recognize our capabilities and limitations and work within them for the project to proceed successfully for all involved. Here are some tips for the facility manager to understand to work better with an engineer and help the project succeed.

1. Trust Your Senses. You are a smart person. Trust the evidence you see that something may be wrong. It is tempting to see, hear, smell a problem in your building or operation and ignore it. It is tempting to say, “It’s too much work. Life is easier if I ignore.”; “I’m too busy”; “It’s somebody else’s job.”, etc. But that’s all the more reason to at least record the issue and get details. We engineers like and need details. I can’t tell you the number of times a client describes in the most general terms an odor, a leak, etc., but does not know the details of it, when or even exactly where it happened. I need such information, in many cases, to determine a cause and solution. Being told in general about a problem does not help. You don’t need to solve the problem; just collect details for the engineer to handle..

2. Know and Check Your Staff and Your Processes. You are probably a good communicator and know your staff well. Being around your equipment and processes on a daily basis, you probably know a lot about them. Don’t think that way. You only know what your staff tells you; other things may be going on. I once did an air emissions inventory for a chemical plant. I was given the formulas and steps used to make certain products. I walked on the floor to see the equipment in action. I spoke to some of the workers who set up the tanks, reactors, etc. I showed them the official formulas; they laughed. They had not followed those procedures in years, even though those were the official versions. The workers on their own made changes, in many cases, to save the company time, resources, etc., but had never informed the managers. Problematic. Worse still was the project I did on an air matter where some workers admitted they routinely took the barrels of spent material with low solvent content and dumped them in the next door wetlands. “But it was very diluted”, they said. I reported this to the manager, who was totally unaware, and he had to report this to the authorities. Be aware of what goes on. Bottom line: know your equipment and processes, not just by what the specs. say, but how it does in the field, too.

3. Listen to and Trust Your Consultant. I can’t tell you the number of times that I made a suggestion to a client and the person is not listening or assumes I have an ulterior motive. I can’t say every single consultant is straight forward, but the vast majority are. So it’s in your interest to listen to what he/she says and trust that he/she is looking after your best interests as understood. That doesn’t mean the engineer is right, but at least seriously listen to their suggestions and see the angle he/she presents.

4. Think About Different Perspectives. Every client has their own motives. We understand. Some truly are concerned with their company; some care only about getting the credit for a project well done; some like to wield power; some only care about saving money short-term. That is fine. Circumstances, corporate culture may dictate this. But at least, be open to different pictures that your engineer presents, such as “While this saves you cost now, it may lead to higher costs because …..” or “This project cannot proceed smoothly without the cooperation of _____ in _____ Dept.” Your engineer will likely offer you different perspectives and effects of options. Listen and consider them carefully. Yes, one may be more important, but you owe it to yourself to not dismiss other perspectives or side effects the engineer offers.

5. Challenge Your Engineers – with Facts. If a manager hires an engineer to do a project, there is nothing wrong with checking on and even criticizing his/her work, assumptions, sources, etc. Some engineers merely give a client (and an agency) numbers without any background. It is certainly your right to ask the engineer how the work was done. Similarly, it is OK to ask or criticize the assumptions made. What is important, however, is not to criticize for the sake of criticism, but with real curiosity and real facts. I had an emotional client once who often lashed out at me, critical of certain decisions I made on behalf of the client for work performed. When I sat down with him I showed him my assumptions and what my goals were in discussing the issue and the client understood, apologized and agreed. This is a productive exchange. However, being crass and angry and not giving your engineer a chance to respond is counterproductive.

CCES has the experts and experience to work with you to upgrade your processes for productivity and energy cost savings. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Can We Meet the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals?

As many of us know, scientists believe we can still avoid the worst impacts of climate change if we can stop pumping so much greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. Nature will take care of itself in time and we will return to close to normal. The numbers cited is that worldwide we need to reduce GHG emissions by 80% from a 1990 baseline by 2050. In fact, a number of municipalities and other entities have “80 X 50” campaigns. Since most entities did not track GHG emissions in 1990, they pick a different baseline, but still wish to reduce by 80% to show they are doing their part.

But can the world do this? Of course, GHG emissions are tied to energy usage, particularly fossil fuel combustion. Using less energy and more of that energy from renewable sources will help. Lifestyle changes (less meat and dairy) should help, too. However, problems lurk.

Electricity usage will likely double by 2050.
Several commentators predict this and should not be a surprise as electricity production did double from 1990 to 2015. And with electrification being encouraged (electric cars, heat pumps replacing boilers), another doubling is quite conceivable. So while it will be nice to shut down fossil fuel-fired power plants for renewable power in the future, if we have such a future increase in electric demand, we may have to continue to hold onto old fossil fuel-fired plants for longer. Or can we prioritize the construction and utilization of renewable plants?

Increasing population and middle class.
The world’s population is expected to rise by at least 1½ billion between now and 2050. That’s not good to meet a goal of decreasing GHG emissions by 80%. But what’s worse is that the demographers state that many poor people already here will move to the middle class – perhaps as many as 2 billion. These people will go from low energy users, such as not owning a car, and few or no electric “toys” (TVs, computers, etc.) to having all these things. In other words, 2 billion more high energy users and high GHG producers. This is not hypothetical. Much has been reported of regions of China, India, Brazil, Russia growing a middle class, leading to increased electricity generation (and not necessarily from renewable sources), car ownership, and meat eating. How can we encourage economic growth, but do so in a sustainable way to not increase GHG emissions so much? And what about those of us who have access to electricity, but whose lifestyles are expansive and we can afford the latest “toys” or be more comfortable than past generations (air conditioner in every room, activated ahead of time from the office, bigger, fancier cars, etc.).

And there is the lack of political will to incorporate GHG reduction technologies and strategies across nations.

Well, I hope I haven’t depressed you and made you give up hope that climate change will cause mass destruction around 2050. Actually, I am an optimist. No, there will be adverse effects. But as an engineer, I believe in technology that not only reduces GHG emissions, but has other practical benefits, including saving costs that business leaders and the public will latch onto for our benefit.

Clean Fuels and Diversification.
In 1990, 99% of electricity was generated by fossil fuels plus hydro, and much of this was coal. Now, sustainable sources of power (solar, wind, etc.) and natural gas are upstaging coal and oil and the trends are likely to continue (see Nov. 2019 newsletter). It is now cheaper to build and operate a renewable power plant than a coal-fired one.

Energy Efficiency is a Mainstream Business Strategy.
It was not long ago that a person suggesting a company or plant be more energy efficient would be ignored. Energy was cheap; efficiency strategies expensive so that the cost could not be paid back. Plus, anything that might “mess with” the process was considered risky. It was considered OK to overpay costs, such as energy, to have a repetitive process.
This has changed. All the major business schools teach the importance of being more energy efficient and sustainable, in general. Many MBA degrees specialize in sustainability. Many current CEOs may not feel comfortable with these subjects, but the new generation sure does. Plus, there is more real-life examples of buildings that invested in energy efficiency or in sustainability and came out way ahead.

Localized Distributed Generation.
It used to be that electricity was produced by a huge power plant, perhaps hundreds of miles away, with electricity transmitted by lines. Losses during transmission were common, understood and accepted as normal. Now, there is a movement called distributed generation, encouraging construction of small generator plants closer to where the electricity is used – even at major sites themselves. Co-generation also yields steam which can have uses, both in comfort and in processes. This increased efficiency plus reduced losses as electricity is transmitted much shorter distances means much less fuel combusted and less GHG emissions to produce the electricity used all around.

Improved Farming Methods and Reduction in Meat/Dairy Consumption.
While the focus here is energy, certainly agricultural practices and methane released by tens of millions of cows kept alive (and emitting) to produce so much meat and milk we drink contribute to climate change. Even large farmers are incorporating practices which happen to increase yields and reduce GHG emissions. And certainly, there is a growing vegetarian/vegan movement, which can reduce GHG emissions some more.

Progress and awareness of strategies and technologies like these have a chance to lessen the blows of climate change, which will benefit all of us.

CCES has the experts to help you develop a sustainability and/or energy efficiency program to meet your climate change or other goals and reap the many benefits. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Architect Invents Refugee Tents That Collect Rainwater and Store Solar Energy

As this decade of the 2010’s comes to an end, we can look back and see a number of upheavals around the world leading to many devastating humanitarian disasters. Perhaps the greatest example is the estimated 13.5 million Syrians displaced intermally or outside of Syria, many living in tents in inhospitable areas. Moved by this, the Jordanian-Canadian architect Abeer Seikaly developed a solution to help the lives of these refugees.

Living in tents, families are hard-pressed to have access to electricity, clean water, and basic sanitation. In addition, many refugees are forced to move; moving tents (and the contents in them) is challenging. Ms. Seikaly developed a unique tent design, called ‘Weaving a Home’, which uses a structural fabric composed of high-strength plastic tubing molded into sine-wave curves that can expand and enclose during different weather conditions for shelter and water collection. In addition, it can also be broken down to allow easier mobility and transportation.

This tent is unique as it can collect rainwater and have it used for showering. Rainwater is collected from the top of the tent and then filters down the sides to storage pockets. Given the issue of basic health and sanitation, having access to showers within their own tent will improve their health and quality of life.

Through its innovative engineering design, the tent can also absorb solar energy and transform it into electric energy, which is stored in special batteries.

The tent has not become commercially available yet, but she hopes final approval will occur soon and these tents can be made available for refugees soon after it is finalized. There have been difficulties in transforming the design into a product, ensuring that its capabilities such as water collection and solar energy collection work under real world conditions.

CCES has the experts to help your firm find and adapt the latest technologies to benefit your firm for energy or water conservation or environmental compliance. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Climate Change Study Mandatory in Italy’s Schools

Italy will next year become the world’s first country to make it compulsory for schoolchildren to study climate change and sustainable development, Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti said. Fioramonti said all state schools would dedicate 33 hours per year, almost one hour per school week, to climate change issues starting next academic year. In addition, many traditional subjects, such as geography, mathematics and physics, will begin to be studied from the perspective of sustainable development. He stated: “I want to make the Italian education system the first education system that puts the environment and society at the core of everything we learn in school.”

He played a part in the government’s 2020 budget presentation which included taxes on airline flights, plastics, and on sugary drinks to address greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues. Surveys showed 70-80% of Italians backed taxing sugar and flights, as a way to discourage consumption which is harmful to the environment, while generating resources for schools, welfare, or lowering the income tax.

Fioramonti said the new government, which has gotten off to a shaky start with weeks of bickering over the budget, will only last if it enacts unique and brave actions, such as Climate Change curricula and taxes to discourage behaviors deemed bad for Climate Change.

CCES has the experts to keep you current on Climate Change laws and facts and can help you be on the right side of the Climate Change movement. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.