Category Archives: Sustainability

COVID-19 and Its Spread in a Multi-Family Building

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is the event of our times. This pandemic is expected to kill millions of people worldwide. While not the most deadly virus known, it is very highly communicable, leading potentially to high concentrations of afflicted people in localized areas, overwhelming the health care infrastructure of the areas. Afflicted people could easily face a shortage of hospital beds in their area, as well as shortages of necessary respiratory equipment and overburdened doctors and staff, itself leading to death. Therefore, it is important to take potentially drastic steps to slow down the spread of the virus. For the building owner/manager – and particularly, of a multi-family building – one does not want the building to be the center of many coming down with COVID-19.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) maintains that the spread of the COVID-19 virus can be slowed with frequent, thorough disinfectant washing of surfaces that people touch, such as door knobs, bannisters, and elevator buttons. Many communities have instituted a partial or substantial lockdown forbidding people to leave their homes, with few exceptions, such as food shopping or a pharmacy visit. There is particular concern about these sub-populations who may be especially vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure:
• Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19;
• Those who have had close contact with persons with COVID-19; and
• Travelers returning from areas where COVID-19 cases are common.

Therefore, building owners and managers should develop and implement reasonable protocols to reduce the spread and keep building staff and residents safe until a state of emergency is lifted. This should be done to mitigate risks and potential claims.

The protocol should require building staff to keep all items, furniture, and equipment that people may make contact with sanitized with the use of an EPA-approved disinfectant (containing at least 70% alcohol). This would include all such surfaces in lobbies, elevators, mail rooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms, or other areas that residents and staff may have access to. Door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, and other commonly touched surfaces should be disinfected often and thoroughly.

The protocol should require or strongly recommend all outsiders, such as contractors, visitors, vendors, and delivery people who enter to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Dispensers should be placed in the lobby accessible to all. Building staff should ensure there is always soap and paper towels in bathrooms and to post reminders for 20-second hand washing. Delivery personnel should be told to leave the item they are delivering by the unit’s front door, ring the door bell, and then leave.

Signage for COVID-19 is important. They should encourage all persons exhibiting symptoms of infection to seek medical care, follow their doctor’s orders, and report themselves to the local health department, encourage all persons who have come in close contact with an infected person to self-quarantine in their unit for at least 14 days, and encourage all persons to use tissues to contain coughs and sneezes, wash their hands regularly and to keep a 6-foot distance from others.

Building staff should be required to wear and use appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves and masks, according to the job they are doing, as well as to follow written directions for using cleaning products. Appropriate quantities of protective equipment and cleaning products should be available.

Staff should be encouraged to ask residents they see, particularly the elderly, how they are feeling and if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 infection. If a resident’s answer may indicate possible infection, then he/she should be encouraged to seek assistance from local authorities. Staff need not enter that person’s unit, should promptly wash their hands thoroughly, and report the incident to Management.

Again, signage is important as a way to communicate these items to residents, staff, and outsiders. Having a written protocol communicated to and understood by staff puts the building owner/manager in a better position to ensure no further or limited exposure to COVID-19 virus, which is better for the health of residents and staff, reduces expenses, protects the owner from legal actions, and enhances the building’s value.

CCES has the experts to help building owners manage their property more efficiently and effectively. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Traits of Resiliency To Help in A Crisis

The ongoing events of the past few weeks about the COVID-19 pandemic made me think about a concept I had written about when it comes to Climate Change but had not in awhile. Resiliency is the ability to address and recover from a crisis or some difficulty.

A word that comes to mind for resiliency is change. Think about what likely all of us has begun to do over these past few weeks. We’re much more cognizant of the need to wash hands, no longer shake hands or kiss or hug, use hand sanitizers, clean your phones, keyboards, bannisters, etc. Even the most antiseptic person among us has probably stepped up their routine about cleanliness. For everyone, this represents a sudden, major change in your lifestyle. And as we see in the news, some people are going against the health experts and not making the necessary changes. Another example is work. So many people will have to change the way they do business, who they serve or sell to, how they make a living and, of course, where they work (such as suddenly having to work from home). How will people show resiliency and change?

Another important aspect of resiliency is perspective, realizing that a crisis that one is in is, although painful, something that will subside in time and allow normalcy to return. When it comes to COVID-19, we are seeing of stories of people panicking, hoarding supplies they don’t need, not doing things that need to be done on the assumption that they will catch the virus and die. Part of being resilient is to realize that the difficulties you face are temporary, something you have to adjust to, but preparing to go back to life as it was before and not panic. Those that put matters in perspective, look at the medium- and long-term future and make rational decisions for themselves and loved ones to survive the crisis and come out better for it will more likely survive and thrive.

Finally, another important aspect of resiliency is listening, listening to information. When one is in a crisis, one does not know who or what to listen to. Well-meaning advice may come from many sources but may not be right for you. The resilient person is one that listens to the different pieces of advice of different people during a crisis, sorts out which ones make the most sense, disregards quickly the foolish ones, and then picks one and re-assesses and re-calibrates and potentially changes the strategy based on results and the future of the crisis. The resilient one keeps calm, listens to many voices, and chooses the one he/she thinks is best, but with an open mind to change if need be.

Change. Perspective. Listening.  All important traits to resiliency, which is the way we can survive the current COVID-19 crisis and future Climate Change calamities in both our personal/family lives and society. Be strong and resilient!

CCES can be contacted at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720. We are there for you.

Air-conditioned Indoor Spaces Increase Risk of Viral Exposure

A majority of the coronavirus COVID-19 exposure human clusters reported globally are in air-conditioned indoor environments, such as nursing homes, cruise ships, places of worship, hospitals, etc. Why? There are two potential explanations. Clearly, people prefer comfortable air-conditioned indoor environments. Being more comfortable makes occupants spend more time in the space and be more social than if they were less comfortable. At the same time, keeping the air temperature and relative humidity in these comfortable ranges also prolongs the viability of viruses. Such an environment allows COVID-19 and other viruses to live for several days on indoor surfaces and in the air, increasing the likelihood of transfer by human to human contact.

Activities such as touching, coughing, sneezing, and talking generate large quantities of viruses to pass through the air and deposit, not only on other people, but also on indoor surfaces which others can touch and be exposed to. One study showed that viral particles expelled from people are small enough, 0.3 µm or less, to linger in room air for several days. Research shows that both indoor air temperatures and a low relative humidity that people favor also lead to long periods of their viability on surfaces and indoor air. This, therefore, increases the risk of infection with a virus like COVID-19.

This corresponds to “well” air-conditioned spaces, such as the typical, comfortable temperature range of 71⁰F to 75⁰F and a relative humidity range of 60-70%. Research suggests that infectious viruses would lose much of their viability if the temperature of a space is raised to 90⁰F or more and a relative humidity of 90% or more. However, such conditions would lead to the growth of other biologicals, such as mold, and would volatilize chemicals, such as VOCs, in indoor areas, which have their own health impacts, not to mention such conditions are not safe for humans, particularly the elderly.

Of course, the most pragmatic solution, as public health experts have told us, is behavioral. Thorough hand washing water and soap and regular face washing are effective in reducing the risk of getting infected with a virus, social distancing, and staying home if one has any infectious symptoms.

If a building is shut down because of the possibility of COVID-19 presence, a thorough cleaning with disinfectant is useful, but may not be the complete answer. While major areas which people contact (door knobs, bannisters, chairs, etc.) should be thoroughly cleaned, missing one spot could still lead to spreading exposure given COVID-19 can survive for days. Building management may wish to consider, in addition to a thorough cleaning, the temporary raising of the temperature and relative humidity to the levels listed above to aid in reducing the viability of viruses. This may not be the complete solution either, as it depends how effective the HVAC is and whether that temperature and relative humidity can be reached in every affected area of the building where people may be occupying. However, this is something to consider.

CCES has the experts to help you in designing and operating a good, effective, safe HVAC system and can work with public health experts to assess COVID-19 or other potential health impacts. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or karell@CCESworld.com. Please act and be safe these days!

Small Buildings Reluctant To Do Energy Upgrades

Energy efficiency upgrades are often at the bottom of building owner or manager’s list of priorities, particularly for smaller buildings, defined as under 25,000 square feet, which comprises nearly 90% of US commercial building stock. According a 2015 report published by National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), entitled “Financing Small Commercial Building Energy Performance Upgrades: Challenges and Opportunities”, owners face several challenges in terms of financing such projects. NIBS recommends that government and other organizations make it easier to obtain credible financing.

Barriers to Energy Efficiency for Small Commercial Building Owners

According to the document, the main barriers are skepticism that energy retrofit projects will actually deliver the financial benefits calculated, financing, and technologies favoring larger buildings. Delivering benefits leads to three discussions.

Building owners, like most business people, crave certainty. While the engineer can explain the likelihood of the success of the retrofit, the owner – not knowledgeable about technology – is naturally skeptical about things they don’t personally know. Also, management usually does not have experienced staff who can review and oversee specific design and building performance vis-à-vis energy efficiency.

Second, management tends to focus first on urgent repairs and delay long-term upgrades. There are not many periods when there is not something crucial pending. Management culture, therefore, is more day-to-day rather than long-term. What then often happens is that management is forced to implement an upgrade because of failing equipment, putting the team under pressure, costing more money, and limiting options.

Third, building management tend to look at investments in the short-term if, for no other reason, their salaries/bonuses/promotions are based on short-term profit.

Another issue is financing which is potentially troublesome for many building owners who often borrow for other types of projects and may have checkered histories.

Finally, most strategies to improve commercial energy efficiency are more financially beneficial for larger buildings than small ones. Since there is a base price for a technology, building it larger or being more comprehensive does not add a lot to the cost, but could be more effective in reducing energy use. Smaller buildings do not get the potential benefit a larger building with more tenants and activities do.

Overcoming These Obstacles

One way to overcome the skepticism is to have the energy specialist come in with turnkey solutions. The company will develop the opportunity, bring in the proper vendors to design, build, and install the technology, and test it to ensure that minimum standards are met. One company that the building owner trusts oversees all aspects gives that owner more confidence that the implementation will be proper and goals obtained.

The NIBS report recommends that government, and, particularly, the federal government, link existing loan and other programs to assist small businesses. Existing Small Business Administration loan programs do not address energy or environmental upgrades. Working with the Dept of Energy, such programs focused on realistic energy savings and upgrades can be successful.

Property-assessed clean energy (PACE) and on-bill financing are options the report recommends. PACE loans are repaid through property tax assessments bills and are administered by government and considered higher-priority than mortgages. On-bill financing programs fund retrofits via utility bill savings over time.

Loans specific to upgraded equipment loans, managed energy service agreements, and real estate investment trusts (REITs) may also encourage more energy upgrade projects. In managed energy service agreements, customers pay an energy firm a set straight energy fee. The firm pays the utility what is actually used and makes money from the difference, which occurs by making the building more energy efficient. The firm takes the risk and the owner pays a set fee.

Understanding the building owner/manager’s culture and pressures will make it easier for energy professionals to propose energy upgrade projects which don’t just make technical and financial sense, but also makes the owner comfortable about success and minimizes risk.

CCES has the experts to evaluate any type of building and develop and project manage energy saving projects with a robust payback and to improve productivity at the same time. We can see projects from initial design and calculation to final. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

Community Solar: A New Win-Win Approach

More state and local governments and utilities are encouraging new solar plants to enhance flexibility of sources of electricity and to meet “green” goals. Building and maintaining a solar farm is now cheaper than that of a new fossil fuel-fired power plant, encouraging this even more. A problem that solar developers face – like any entrepreneur – is ensuring demand for the new plant. One approach is the many people who want to have solar panels but cannot have them on their homes because of shading or because they live in apartments without the space. Such people can invest in solar projects to get credit for creating solar power while the electricity generated from these plants go either to their community or certain spots, such as poor neighborhoods or nursing homes to help defray their costs. Such projects are called community solar.

For example, a community solar farm just began commercial operation in in Greene County, NY. The 3-MW solar project is under the category of “community” and, therefore, received funding and administrative support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

In this project, residential and small business electricity users near the proposed project were given the choice to invest in this project simply by switching their electricity to solar energy generated by the project. Such a switch even allowed them to receive State credits reducing their electricity bill. The commitment of a minimum number of utility customers to solar was what was needed to know that the output of the proposed plant would be accepted into the grid. In this case, having the community choosing solar even if each could not house their own solar panels was sufficient for allowing the electricity into the grid and to allow the investment and construction to start.

But this project did not end there. The project also called for the development of 2.5 acres of pollinator-friendly habitat to be planted around the site. In addition, the project included nearly $10,000 in funding to a local land trust to restore floodplain forest and enhance public access to a nearby nature preserve.

Solar projects used to be individual homes or buildings installing solar panels on their roofs or nearby yards. That’s fine. However, solar is and will go farther with this new emphasis on the community contributing together to support the construction of a new solar plant in or near the community and contributing to its electricity mix. And with solar farms now being cheaper than conventional power plants, this can even lead to a decrease in electricity rates for the community.

CCES has the experts to help you decide whether solar or any other potential renewable project is right for your building or company. We can bring in the experts to design the source for you and project manage it to ensure you get the maximum benefits and utility and government incentives. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@ccesworld.com.

Lighting and Improved Productivity

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been around for nearly 100 years. The primary advantage of using LED lights is energy savings. It has become popular in the last couple of decades because its cost of manufacturing has come down, the unit cost of energy has risen, and the technology itself has improved. LED output can now be controlled automatically to suit the users’ needs.

Now that a cost-savings baseline has been established, more recent research has focused on improving light quality to improve the health and productivity of workers.

Recent research has helped us understand how light influences human behavior. Human circadian rhythm can be affected by different visible wavelengths, particularly in the blue-green region. Light coming into one’s eyes and stimulating the nervous system is a major influencer of the circadian system, which starts in the brain and regulates physiological rhythms throughout the body, affecting hormone levels and the sleep-wake cycle.
Certain neural receptors in the retina when they capture light of wavelength of about 490 nm which best causes the brain to stimulate other parts of the body (alertness). Furthermore, light with lower amounts of this wavelength range signals the body to settle down and prepare to rest.

Light can influence other activities, too, such as being energized during the day and falling asleep at night. Several university research laboratories and lamp manufacturers are trying to incorporate this into LED light technology. While LEDs can emit a very natural white color, part of its spectrum could contain a larger amount of rays in the blue-green region (470 nm to 520 nm wavelength), which can influence human circadian rhythm and behavior.

Finally, research is showing that the ideal wavelengths to show effects on human behavior also depends on the age of the subject, due to changes in the eye’s shape and cornea with aging. In general, as one ages, the wavelength needed to influence human behavior goes up. However, even as one may adjust the wavelength, the influence on behavior declines as one ages; again, the effects of aging on the physiological and hormonal properties.

Therefore, imagine an office where the lights are programmed to emit white light at all wavelengths, but especially around the 490 nm mark, the high point for alertness for young people, but also higher wavelengths for older workers. And then changing the mix of wavelengths to higher ones to get people to settle down at the end of the work day. That time may come sooner than we expect.

CCES has the experts to help you evaluate your lighting to optimize the energy savings, be more green, and improve your workers’ productivity. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Something to Remember for a New Decade

We all know that a healthy diet, moderate level of physical activity, normal body weight range, not smoking, and low drug/alcohol intake are lifestyle choices that, according to the literature, should result in significant benefits of reducing occurrences of various illnesses and risk of premature death through stronger immune and cardiac systems.

However, a person adhering to such healthy lifestyles but with regular exposure to toxic air pollutants at high concentrations or low concentrations but for extended periods has a risk of losing these protections and exhibit higher incidents of premature death or illness. For example, the literature shows that certain compounds that enter our bodies can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the immune system, and we can be exposed to many of these compounds through the air we breathe. These adverse effects can occur even if one adheres to the other healthy lifestyles discussed.

An increase in mortality and hospital admission rates and sick building syndrome (SBS) correlates strongly with exposure to airborne particulate matter, ozone, certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other identified toxic air pollutants. Public exposure to these compounds can occur from indoor and from outdoor sources. Given that people spend the majority of their time indoors, indoor levels of toxic air pollutants must be a growing concern.

Yet, we can’t not breathe, right? In the U.S., we have a network of thousands of monitors that tell us the levels of certain pollutants throughout the nation, and we have decades-worth of data. Therefore, a person can choose to move to a “cleaner air” area. However, even if a person moves to such an area, he/she is still at risk for two reasons. First, in some cases even a single exposure of a key air toxic (carcinogen) could, theoretically, cause cancer in that person. Second, even if an area is in attainment of national ambient air quality standards, a micro area, such as a street on which many cars and trucks travel and emit gasoline byproducts or an indoor area both away from a monitor, can provide the source of air toxics to cause adverse health effects.

So while we all made New Years and new decades resolutions to undertake healthier life style choices (and hopefully keeping them, several weeks into the New Year), don’t forget to keep in mind air quality. Take the time to consider potential exposure of you and your family and friends to air toxics that can negate these good lifestyle choices. What can you do? Consider minimize walking or spending time in areas of high automobile or truck usage or endeavor to live and work in indoor areas that are well ventilated and use water-based coatings and cleaners with less toxic compounds.

Have a happy and healthy 2020 and beyond.

CCES has the experts to assess the potential sources of air pollution in your neighborhood or indoor air environment and help you develop a plan to make your spaces cleaner and better for you. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

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.