Energy-Efficient Buildings in L.A. and Other Cities Save Money and Decrease Emissions

The building at 6500 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles is notable for various reasons, not least among them the fact that it has made the Energy Star list every year since 2002. And its energy-efficient HVAC system, operating under the control of the building’s advanced software energy management system, accounts for a major part of this distinguished achievement.

This is only one of several interesting facts reported by Environment News Service in “California Leads the Nation in Energy Star Buildings” (Mar. 4). The article draws from a new list released on March 3 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identifies the top 25 U.S. cities with the greatest number of energy-efficient buildings that have earned EPA’s Energy Star.

The top ten cities on the list are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Washgton, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Atlanta, and Seattle.

The HVAC system at 6500 Wilshire in L.A. certainly does its part to add to the building’s total energy and money savings. The 435,000 square-foot building itself is, in the words of its official Website, “an imposing 23-story tower of fine Brazilian Capao Bonite granite and glowing bronze glass” that “has been a landmark in Los Angeles since it opened in 1986.”

Environment News Service describes how the building’s HVAC system – which of course works in tandem with other energy-saving measures — is fully up to the task of handling the demand for energy efficiency in such a structure:

The building is equipped with an advanced, software energy management system that minimizes energy consumption through precise temperature and equipment controls. The system features off-site HVAC monitoring for faster after-hours control.

Two 570-ton, high-efficiency chillers run on an environmentally safe refrigerant and are powered with premium efficient motors. Variable frequency drive units have been installed on all 23 air handling units, two cooling tower fan motors, and three garage exhaust fan motors. Just utilizing the garage variable frequency drive exhaust fan saves about $100,000 annually in energy costs.

The EPA puts these facts and figures in context:

“Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

. . . . In 2008, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star – EPA’s label for high efficiency — representing savings of more than $1 billion in utility bills and more than 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These buildings include schools, hospitals, office buildings, courthouses, grocery stores, retail centers and auto assembly plants.

The total for Energy Star qualifying buildings and plants in America is now more than 6,200 with overall annual utility savings of more than $1.7 billion and the prevention of the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 2 million cars a year (EPA, March 3).

Of interest to informed HVAC professionals will be the fact that all of this information comes on the heels of the Feb. 24 signing of a joint resolution on climate change by ASHRAE and the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH). ASHRAE president Bill Harrison said,

The use of HVAC&R technologies is an essential element of contemporary life. Yet, HVAC&R systems contribute to greenhouse gas releases through energy-related effects and through the effects of refrigerant losses. ASHRAE and AIRAH are emphasizing a variety of measures to decrease emissions associated with energy use and its effect on global climate” (ASHRAE, Feb. 24).

One of eight stated goals that ASHRAE and AIRAH say they resolve to pursue is to “Educate building owners, operators, users, designers, and constructors on the importance of building energy efficiency, corresponding climate change impact, and proper operations and maintenance measures” – a goal that the 5400 Wilshire and the other buildings on the EPA Top 25 list are already fulfilling.