Everyone is trying to save money these days and if you can protect the bottom line while also doing something to help mother nature it’s a win-win. During construction on our new building we looked at implementing various “green” technologies. The main focus of our efforts was in reducing electricity usage thru more efficient lighting, heating and cooling. We implemented some of these energy saving strategies during construction; foam treatment for the walls to improve insulation, 38% more efficient air-conditioning system, motion sensors and timers on lights, low-wattage fluorescent lighting, tinted windows and LED lighting. Since moving in, we have installed programmable thermostats and implemented a recycling program to further reduce our carbon footprint, but there is always more than can be done.

We wanted to get some ideas on other things we could do to save energy and see as many of these “green” technologies as we could up close so we contacted our utility provider, OUC, and setup a tour of their new building downtown, Reliable Plaza, on West Anderson. It is the greenest building in downtown Orlando and one of the most energy and water efficient buildings in all of Central Florida. The building is designed to meet the Gold level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). There building features a variety of energy and water saving technologies, resulting in the building being 28% more energy efficient and using 40% less water than a building of the same size built to Orlando’s standard building codes.

What looks like a regular water feature is actually a 27,000 gallon cistern that stores rainwater and is used to irrigate the landscaping. The cistern collects water from runoff on the roof and around the property and filters it before storing it underground. To reduce usage further, all of the plants and trees are drought resistant and require less water.

While OUC only uses the run-off water for irrigation, they looked at ways to reduce water usage indoors. One way is by using dual-flush toilets throughout the building. This type of toilet is relatively new in the US and North America, but has been using in other parts of the world for a number of years. The toilet uses up to 67% less water than a conventional toilet by having 2 “modes” of operation. Pulling the handle up for liquid waste uses substantially less water than pressing the handle down for solid waste. This is fairly easy to implement in existing buildings and is something we are looking into.

One of the features of the OUC building we were most interested in seeing was the roof. Along with a great view of downtown Orlando and the surrounding area, we got a closer look at the 32 KW solar array. The solar panels not only generate “free” power, but also shade the roof, and along with the reflective white coating, the amount of heat absorbed and passed into the building is greatly reduced. The OUC building is over 110,000 square feet and this small solar array only supplies around 3-5% of the buildings total energy use. We are looked at installing a 25 KW array on our building to help offset some of our electrical use as well as adding a reflective coating to the roof.

We also got to see their solar heating unit. Water is pumped thru panels that absorb heat and allow the building to have hot water without the use of electricity. We happen to have a shower here in our shop, and something like this could help offset some energy usage from our hot-water heater.

Along with having special parking spots specifically for fuel efficient vehicles, OUC recently installed this solar powered charging station for plug-in hybrid vehicles. The sun-shade awning is actually a solar array that feeds electricity into 2 charging stations. OUC operates a small fleet of plug-in hybrids that can be charged with “free” power from the sun while they are parked.

With any new technology there are some growing pains. The first few floors are actually the parking garage. Other than the lobby, the office space doesn’t start until the 7th floor. The building uses a under-floor air conditioning system (UAS) that has the same components as a traditional central air system but supplies cold (or hot) air from registers in the floor and returns it via registers in the ceiling. This allows the HVAC system to keep air moving in the same direction and overall makes the system more efficient. The problem came into play because the roof of the parking garage is the ground floor of the office. The cold air passing thru the floor causes condensation to form on the concrete roof of the garage. The brown insulation you see is made out of recycled paper and was supposed to insulate the office but because of the condensation it has started to separate from the concrete and flake off. OUC is currently working with its engineers and the architects to figure out a solution.

One last feature of the building doesn’t improve efficiency or increase the buildings LEED rating but may help to inspire everyone that passes by to do what they can to conserve energy, water and other resources and keep Florida beautiful for future generations.

You can find out more about what you can do to make your own home or office “green” and also find out more about Reliable Plaza at www.OUC.com