Sources: NOAA, Council on Environmental Quality, EPA, ACHR theNews, Bisnow
Businesses and governments are working to combat the causes of climate change because the planet is warming at a rate twice as fast as typical levels, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA).
Half of the top Fortune 500 companies have made net-zero or carbon reduction commitments and federal, state, and local governments continue to set and expand net-zero commitments states the Council on Environmental Quality.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings consume about 40% of the energy in the United States, so reducing emissions within our infrastructure is key to meeting emission-reduction goals. One way to accomplish this is to partner with an energy services company, like Boland, who knows your building, the system, and your people. Boland will help you develop a plan to achieve your sustainability goals while ensuring the best fit and most cost-effective building solutions.
Boland’s team of energy engineers will first help you set a baseline to understand how your building is performing. Then, taking into account your existing conditions and budget, we will work together to set realistic goals and determine a strategy on how to achieve them. We'll work side-by-side with you to establish the appropriate mix of initiatives to achieve your sustainability goals and help you monitor and track your success. We will begin by looking at four main components:
Increasing Energy Efficiency:
Most of our clients are able to find energy-saving fixes, both big and small, throughout their buildings. This can be done by tuning or upgrading Building Automation Systems (BAS), installing more energy-efficient equipment, making lighting systems more efficient, controlling plug load, and making improvements to the building envelope.
Our Energy and Solutions Team Leader, Emily Herchenroeder, recently worked with a client to retrofit their outdated system components, which in turn reduced their HVAC usage by more than half! You can read the full story here, and see other energy-saving recommendations as well as how to utilize utility incentives to help fund projects.
Utilizing Electrification:
As electric grids become less emissions-intensive, many state and local regulations are mandating the transition to electric HVAC and companies are “going electric” to achieve net-zero emissions and meet sustainability goals. Boland can help you design and implement HVAC systems that utilize heat pumps and heat recovery technologies to heat and cool your building without the use of natural gas or fossil fuels. This may require changes to building systems, but we have the expertise to guide you through this process and set you up for current and future success. To help with project affordability, we will explore all applicable utility incentives, grants, and rebates available to your local area.
Click here for a quick 10-minute podcast episode that will help you understand electrification and decarbonization with our Executive Vice President, Jerry Scanlan.
Switching to Low Global Warming Potential (GWP) Refrigerants:
Refrigerants are an important, ever-evolving topic in the marketplace right now. There is a wide variety of options today and there will be even more as the industry meets the January 1, 2024 mandate for chillers in twelve states, according to ACHR the NEws. We will help you to identify the right refrigerants suited for your building and systems, ensuring the choice meets your operational as well as sustainability goals.
Our Controls and Engineering Sales Team Leader, Kevin Bradley, recorded a 10-minute podcast episode that will get you up to date on what upcoming refrigerant changes you can expect to see in the next two years.
Incorporating More Renewable Energy:
Depending on your building type and the size of your property, we will discuss options for incorporating renewable energy into your portfolio including solar, wind, or thermal energy. We can explore the use of thermal energy storage in the form of ice tanks that can be charged at night when the energy costs are low and discharged during the day when that energy needs to be utilized. Read more about how our Sales Engineers utilize Thermal Energy Storage for decarbonization here.
Boland is here for you every step of the way as you work to achieve your energy and sustainability goals. More than that, we are on a mission to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our company and our clients. That is why we provide every project with a financial as well as an emissions reduction case to get you closer to net-zero. To get started, give us a call at (240) 306-3000 or reach out using the form below.