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.

Start of 2020’s Notes on Clean Energy

Chicago is the nation’s leader in energy-efficient office buildings, according to the 2019 National Green building Adoption Index. Also in the top 5 were San Francisco, Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Los Angeles. The ranking was based on total space in office buildings having either the EPA ENERGY STAR label, USGBC LEED certification, or both. According to the report, in Chicago, 1,411 representing 71.1% of all office buildings, over 167 million sq. ft., are market-certified green.

Renewable electricity will surpass coal soon. The world’s consumption of coal is declining. Global investment in new coal-fired power plants has slowed sharply in recent years, as countries and investors finding that clean energy, such as solar panels and battery storage, are often a cheaper way to produce electricity and because of the major public health effects of the air pollution caused by coal combustion.

Renewable energy is expected to surpass coal as the world’s dominant source of electricity by 2030, growing to 42% of global generation. Natural gas, while emitting less greenhouse gases than coal, but still producing some, is also growing at the expense of coal. However, hundreds of existing coal plants will continue to do so to satisfy investors unless incentives can be implemented to retire these plants early. Carbon capture and sequestration technology remains unreliable. Watchdog agencies are not permitting CCS until it is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that CO2 is removed for a long time. Wind is also growing, with expectations of nine-fold growth by 2040. Companies in the US, China, South Korea and Japan are planning major off-shore wind farms, joining several European nations who have already built such farms.

Electric car sales are growing. But so are SUVs. In 2019, consumers worldwide bought about 2 million electric cars, spurred by a combination of declining costs and generous vehicle incentives. Sales of electric cars are expected to continue to grow. As a result, global gasoline and diesel use for cars might peak by the mid-2020’s.

But despite this good news, sales of larger SUVs, which consume more gasoline than conventional cars, is expected to grow, too. In 2000, just 18% of passenger cars sold worldwide were SUVs. Last year, it was 42%, negating the gains in greenhouse gas emission reductions from the transportation sector from hybrid and electric car sales. Can a carmaker successfully manufacture and market an electric (battery-powered) version of an SUV?

Energy efficiency efforts are slowing. Energy intensity of the global economy (the amount of energy used to result in revenue), a measure of efficiency, made major gains in the first half of the last decade, but then slowed down. In 2018, the energy intensity improved by only 1.2%, a very slow rate. This may be due to many countries weakening their policies, such as US, which plans to roll back the standards that would have encouraged more efficient lights.

Another disappointment is the lack of inclusion of energy efficiency in building codes. According to one report, 2/3 of new buildings worldwide are being built without having to meet any type of energy efficiency codes and standards. Since a new building now will be functioning and, presumably, wasting some energy for the next 60 or more years, this is a concern.

Development in Africa is crucial. Africa is expected to grow economically and urbanize starting this decade. Will it do so powered by coal or another fossil fuel or will it do so primarily with renewable power, as sun and wind are plentiful in most of Africa? One report states that Africa has about 40% of the world’s potential for solar energy but is generating less than 1% of the world’s solar power.

CCES has the experts to help you plan your own energy plan to be more efficient, save costs, and have a demonstrably greener entity. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Start A Simple Energy Management Program–Part 1

Most companies have whole departments for sales, to control expenses, to manage employees, manage leases and other contracts. However, one area that many firms do not devote any time or resources to is energy. Many feel that energy is not controllable. We need lights and can’t function without them or need various motors and complex equipment, but we can’t do anything about their energy use. Some feel that energy is a small cost to them compared to salaries, rent, etc., so why spend resources on it.

Energy usage and costs are significant and are manageable. Perhaps business leaders feel otherwise because they never learned about it in business school. Nothing seen; therefore, not a factor. However, efforts to reduce energy usage, if done smartly, will usually lead to financial gains, paying back the cost and effort to implement the cost reduction strategy in a reasonable timeframe. Energy can be managed and minimized without impacting operations. While energy costs are lower than payroll and rent for most companies, that does not mean they should be ignored.

Perhaps you don’t have the labor, resources, or the will to develop a whole new group for energy, or even one person devoted to this. That is understandable. But there are simple things you can do to study and improve energy usage to gain these benefits.

The first thing to do is gather basic data. How much energy does your company use? What form (electricity, oil, gas, steam)? Is the use/need consistent or does it vary by time or season? Does it correspond to certain operations? Are their trends (energy use rising or falling)? Answers can lead to smart strategies to reduce energy use and costs.

How to gather such data? There is one item which your firm receives that is a treasure trove of information on your energy use – your energy bill. If your firm gets your monthly energy bill and just passes it on to Accounting to pay and that’s it, that is not good. You should begin to scan and save electronically your energy bills and invoices (such as oil deliveries) and set up spreadsheets with basic data from these bills. How many kilowatt-hours does each facility (meter) use monthly? Does it change over time and correlate to particular needs of your operations (i.e., greater production or sales? weather?)? By managing data, you can see trends and elicit control over your energy use.

One item that most overlook is your rate class. For example, I worked with a religious institution that for decades just paid its monthly energy bills without reviewing them. I saw right away that their rate class for electricity was of an industrial source, not the discounted rate of a religious institution. Nobody noticed this. Fortunately, the utility had a 6-year lookback program that paid the religious institute the overcharge with interest. Was this religious institution happy when it got a check for $84,000 from the utility! Sometimes buildings change functions, but nobody knows to change the rate class appropriately. Take a look at your utility bill and make sure you are charged properly.

Electricity, gas, etc. bills are typically divided into 2 parts, supply and delivery. By law, the utility can only deliver; it cannot supply the electricity or gas. Utilities, therefore, allow you, the user, to pick a supplier. If you do not pick one, then the utility will pick one for you; and – trust me – it will not necessarily be the cheapest! You can save significant energy costs at no cost to you by researching and selecting a lower-cost supplier.

The final simple item to look for is that most utilities not only charge you for electricity usage for the entire period (usually in kilowatt-hours), but also for your peak demand (kilowatts). What is the most electricity drawn for a short period (often 15 minutes) during the billing period? The utility had to provide you that amount of power through their lines during that short period and if it is high, then you will pay a high rate for this, even if usage is otherwise low. So, study your usage and peak demand charges. Do you have periods of very high electricity demand where several high energy-usage equipment is used at the same time? If there is any way to spread out your operations to lower the short-term peak demand? Can certain operations be done at night or early in the morning instead of in the middle of the day? You can save significant cost. For example, using your air conditioning systems more at night (when the peak demand charge is lower) and less during business hours or performing mechanical operations at night and less during the day will save you significant energy costs.

While these are simple tips that do not require great expertise, they can result in significant energy cost savings. Perhaps you can try this, have some success, show your upper management, and they can see that energy savings can be significant and manageable and worthy of a more sophisticated program. Good luck on this in 2020.

CCES has the experts to help your firm manage your energy use and reduce costs and provide greater flexibility for you in operations. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Talking Points: Climate Change

Part of a series with basic information to inform your colleagues.

Don’t let climate change deniers have an equal say. It took several decades of intensive research but scientists now have a good understanding of Earth’s climate system and the impact people have on it. This is not just a few outlier researchers but scientists in diverse fields of study collaborating and showing the many impacts of GHGs and how impacts build on each other. Tens of thousands of scientists around the world have done work that strongly meet scientific criteria. Research that is rigorous, thorough, uses evidence, transparent, overseen by institutions that value accuracy, and withstand public scrutiny. The climate change deniers who have looked for any weakness from this list (although they lack evidence themselves) are now quietly backing away.

This research has led to 3 incontrovertible facts:

1. people are causing our climate to change, particularly due to GHG emissions,

2. human-caused climate change is dangerous with potential dire consequences,

3. there are still viable options for reducing the consequences of climate change.

Climate change will affect both our personal and professional lives. Some places or industries will get hit harder or sooner than others, but there will be a ripple effect. It is unlikely anybody – even the richest and most secure people – will go unscathed. Yet we have options to manage and potentially reduce climate change impacts:
1. mitigate: implement GHG emission reductions (renewable power, efficiency),
2. adaptation: improve a society’s capability to cope with changes in climate,
3. intervention: in planetary or regional system to counteract some GHG impacts,
4. study and research: to better understand our climate and our impacts on it.

What can we do? No one person can change everything. But people can use their voice and their vote. They should demand that political leaders make climate change a very high priority and pass legislation to encourage green energy and discourage or outlaw dirty sources. Leaders can also pass legislation that introduces incentives for making good energy choices and additional costs for sticking with dirty ones. One can also remain involved with one’s own company to understand and speak up on how climate change will hurt the bottom line and how it can do its part by being more green.

You can encourage your company or local community to seriously consider implementing adaptation, implementing strategies avoid, withstand, and/or recover from climate change impacts, such as passing or adhering to land-use planning and building codes, response planning and disaster recovery; impact assessment for critical systems (e.g., water, energy health, etc.

But whatever you do in your personal and professional lives, realize that climate change is real and it’s not something that will happen in the future. There is plenty of incontrovertible evidence that unwelcome impacts are happening to many people now.

CCES can help your firm develop a climate change action plan and put your firm forward as an effective advocate. 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.

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.

Tips for Indoor Painting Projects in Occupied Buildings

The weather is cold out there. You have projects to do for your buildings, but they all must be indoors now. But that leads to problems. Say you have a major painting job in your building, but you are under pressure not to inconvenience staff or customers. The paint job must be completed in a way that is least disruptive to daily operations.

Minimizing disruptions, of course, is something that should be taken into account in all projects, as is the health and safety of occupants and workers. While one normally focuses on keeping aisles clear for occupants to safely move around, it is also important to be aware of maintaining indoor air quality (IAQ). Therefore, look for effective coatings that also contain low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are not only better for IAQ for those potentially exposed, but give off less odors, reducing distractions.

IAQ issues are easier to address. A growing number of coating manufacturers make a line of paints with definitively lower emissions, and some directed to sensitive groups, such as children and the elderly. This is particularly helpful with projects in schools or healthcare facilities. Quick-drying coatings are advantageous. Odors are more subjective and is up to the individual. Emotions and other factors influence whether odors are detected and found to be annoying or distracting. As they say, “Somebody will always complain.” Odors top this list.

How to Start

Set a schedule so that painting is performed when there are the least users around and arrange ahead of time to stick to this schedule. For some facilities, it may or may not be a good idea to paint early in the morning when only a few people are around. It may be a good long-term strategy to paint late in the day and even let workers go home a little early. And paint into the evening. Perhaps there is a major meeting; that may be a good time to get in an hour or two of painting. Be sure to communicate times to affected staff, including which equipment or functions may not be available at what times to staff.

While Painting Goes On

Have sufficient fans present to blow the air, blowing away odors and VOCs and hastening the drying process. Be sure to rope off the areas that employees or customers should not trespass while painting goes on. One certainly does not want the enmity of somebody who accidentally gets in contact with wet paint.

Do the Job Right

One would like to minimize disturbances in the long-term. Therefore, use high-quality coatings that are durable and can withstand frequent cleaning and other conditions in the space (humidity, people effects, etc.). While this may cost more upfront, the building will save much in the long-term in reduced O&M efforts and costs and not having to paint the space again is some time.

CCES has the experts to help you plan all types of upgrades of equipment, between planning operations to procurement of equipment and commissioning that the installation is effective. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.