14B — October 28 - November 10, 2016 — Green Buildings — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
G reen B uildings
By Eric Kessler, Energy Management Systems, Inc. The Integration of Submetering into a Broader Sustainability Initiative
E
nergy costs account for as much as one-third of operating costs in
professional developing a sustainability initiative for a single property or an entire portfolio, the hardest part is knowing where to begin. Noth- ing can be managed until it is measured. Energy efficiency by its na- ture is a long-term effort that requires active management of demand. Whether buildings are existing or new state- of-the-art, the foundation of energy efficiency is metering and monitoring since this will tell owners and managers how their building are performing. The goal is to involve tenants,
managers and owners in the process. The fact that the key stake holders can identify and quantify their energy usage will motivate them to modify their practices and behavior, cut waste and lower the build- ing’s operating costs and en- ergy consumption. Submeters track consumption of practi- cally all resources, including electricity, gas, water, com- pressed air, steam and sewer. Submetered buildings are more likely than others to have lower utility consump- tion and costs, which translate into increased property values and lower total cost of opera- tion. Submeters monitor the proportionate energy use for specific buildings, systems, departments or individual residences and will provide consumption-based metering and billing of all utilities. Within those facilities, light- ing, HVAC and other energy intensive equipment can be monitored for inefficient en- ergy use by individual users or processes. Submeters do not by them- selves save energy, but pro- vides granular data on a dynamic display dashboard to help management make decisions regarding energy consumption. A successful metering strategy requires more than installing meters. It is the engine for real-time operational efficiency and system performance manage- ment. Submetering supports Utility Expense Management/ Bill Payment, Energy Procure- ment, Energy Benchmarking, Energy Efficiency Initiatives such as LED Lighting up- grades and will be necessary for ENERGY STAR® and LEED certification. Further, because submetering directly ties billing costs to actual consumption, submeter instal- lation typically reduces con- sumption of each submetered utility up to 25% in commer- cial buildings and up to 35% in residential properties. Building owners andmanag- ers should consider successful submetering an initial scalable investment compatible with a range of intelligent build- ing resource management systems. Effective submeter- ing strategies are central to comprehensive benchmarking effort that establishes base- lines at the portfolio level and helps to define tangible goals continued on page 18B
commercial b u i l d i n g s ma k i n g i t the largest expense for most build- ing owners. Commercial b u i l d i n g s c o n s u m e
Eric Kessler
more energy than either manufacturing or transporta- tion, using about 40% of the energy consumed in the U.S. For the commercial real estate
Utility Submetering • Meter Reading-Billing-Collection • Energy Procurement-Benchmarking •Expense Management • High Efficiency Lighting
Energy Management Systems, Inc. works with our clients not just as a service provider, but as a trusted partner who provides comprehensive energy solutions for the commercial real estate market. Known as the “meter experts” for 35 years of utility submeter installations, reading, billing and collections, EMS also offers a full suite of energy management tools including:
• Energy Benchmarking • Energy Procurement • Utility Expense Management/Bill Payment • Energy Efficiency Initiatives including LED Lighting
Contact EMS at 800-965-9642 or sales@ems3.com
5 Penn Plaza-23 rd Fl
20 F St. NW-7 th Fl
801 Springdale Dr.-Suite 101
New York, NY 10001 Washington DC 20001 Exton, PA 19341
www.ems3.com
Energy Management Systems, Inc.
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