10A — September 27 - October 10, 2013 — Fall Preview — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
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E nergy E fficiency By Emily Beck, EMCOR Services Fluidics
he City of Philadelphia has implemented a new law (Bill #120428) Philadelphia energy benchmarking law -- an opportunity to create energy efficiencies T
are subject to a $300 fine for the first month that the data is late, and a $100/day penalty thereafter. The benchmarking data will be publicly shared, with the intent to drive improved en- ergy efficiency and building performance in Philadelphia. In a news release, Mayor Nut- ter said: “In order to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America and improve the city’s energy efficiency and cost savings, we need to make a concerted effort across the city to reduce energy use in
buildings.” While the mandate to com- pile, organize, and submit the necessary benchmarking data might seem to be overly burdensome and expensive, the process actually can be done at a modest cost and can potentially result in significant cost savings. In other words, benchmarking can be an op- portunity for owners to gain a better understanding of their buildings’ energy usage and may very well identify energy efficiencymeasures that can be implemented at minimal cost.
Cleary, benchmarkingdoesn’t need to be complicated nor time consuming for the client. EMCOR Services Fluidics has performed hundreds of benchmarks for clients, us- ing a streamlined process to benchmark a building quickly, accurately, and very competi- tively, long before Bill #120428 was passed. What’s needed are 12 months of prior year utility bills (in this case, for 2012, in order to address meeting the deadline for Bill #120428), and some basic building informa- tion, which gets compiled and
formatted in a software pro- gram to meet the city’s bench- marking requirements. If the building qualifies for Energy Star certification, an in-house team can also perform the Energy Star application and validation process. Energy Star certified buildings and plants are proven tomeet strict energy performance standards set by EPA; the designation can be a great marketing tool in a highly competitive leasing environment. As a case in point, Fluid- ics recently completed the benchmarking process for George F Kempf Supply Com- pany, a distributor of building materials for contractors in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware since 1950. Its 260,000 s/f headquarters in Southwest Philadelphia at 5200 Grays Avenue includes 35,000 s/f of office space and 225,000 s/f of warehouse space. The benchmarking process not only enabled Kempf Sup- ply to comply with the new Philadelphia law, but revealed an exceptional Energy Star rating of 95 out of 100, meet- ing the requirements to qualify for Energy Star certification. Specific energy performance metrics were also identified that will enable the company to implement future energy ef- ficiency measures and further cut energy costs. According to John Savelloni, vice president of finance at Kempf, “The en- tire benchmarking process al- lowed us to accurately evaluate the energy performance of our building and lay the ground- work for developing strategies that will ultimately result in greater energy savings in the future.” With the October 31st dead- line approaching, building owners need to move quickly to comply with the benchmark- ing mandate. The process can be done at a relatively low cost and might bring about a signifi- cant payoff, including a greater awareness of energy efficiency measures that can be taken and which will help lower energy costs for years to come. Emily Beck is an account manager for EMCOR Ser- vices Fluidics. Fluidics is a Philadelphia-based me- chanical, electrical, energy, and facilities services con- tractor, which is a wholly- ownedsubsidiaryofEMCOR Group, Inc. n
that requires all buildings 50 , 000 s / f and larger to benchmark energy and water con- sumption an- nually. The deadline for
Emily Beck
assembling and submitting energy and water use data for 2012 is October 31, 2013. Buildings that miss this date
Bill #120428 is a new Philadelphia law requiring all buildings 50,000 square feet or more to benchmark their energy and water consumption annually. With years of benchmark experience, Fluidics can streamline the process for you and benchmark your building quickly, accurately, and very competitively. Benchmark Your Building by the October 31 deadline!
• HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance • On-site Building Operations and Maintenance • Energy Savings Solutions • Building Automation Systems Installation & Maintenance 215. 671.7900 • www.fluidics.com 9815 Roosevelt Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19114 What Can We Do For You?
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