GREEN SCENE
LIGHT SWITCH Low-cost lighting solutions and technology
can reduce energy use and expenses
JOHN KLEIN
(JKLEIN@JDMGMT.
COM) IS THE
PRINCIPAL OF JDM
ASSOCIATES. HE
CO-AUTHORED THE
IREM KEY REPORT,
A PRACtiCAl
GuiDe to GReeN
ReAl eStAte
MANAGeMeNt
WITH JDM’S
ALISON DRUCKER
AND KIRK VIzzIER.
PURCHASE A
COPY OF THE
IREM KEY REPORT
A PRACtiCAl
GuiDe to GReeN
ReAl eStAte
MANAGeMeNt AT
www.irem.org.
NOW THAT YOU HAVE A GREEN PROGRAM GOING AND YOU’VE STARTED ADJUSTING YOUR THERMOSTATS,
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO TO GREEN
YOUR OPERATIONS?
Lighting improvements offer a practical way
to green operations and shrink expenses in a
tough economy. Recent studies show that lighting systems use over 20 percent of America’s
electricity. In commercial buildings they can use
up to 40 percent.
The best method for reducing lighting costs
is to simply turn out the lights! Scan common
areas for lights that are on unnecessarily. Pay
special attention to elevators—many are lit
24/7. Educate tenants on the importance of
turning out lights and using efficient lighting
alternatives. Host a lunch-and-learn session,
post information on your building’s Web site—
be creative. In 2008, TIAA-CREF provided
compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) to each of
its employees and each employee of the tenant
companies in its investor-owned office buildings. They also installed almost 150,000 CFLs
in the residents’ apartments within their multifamily portfolio.
Instruct night and weekend security staff
to turn off lights as well. Ask janitorial staff to
team-clean so they use lights in one area at a
time. Night cleaning can account for 25 percent
of lighting usage in an office building.
You should also consider installing motion
sensors in restrooms, closets, maintenance
areas, conference rooms and elevators. In stair-
wells, install dimmable lights on motion sensors.
If you already use occupancy sensors, investigate
reducing the amount of time that lights remain
on. Additionally, revisit the energy management
system (EMS) and timer schedules to see if
lights can be turned on later or off earlier.
