May 2010
Thinking Outside the (Industrial Facility) Box
By Kylie Wroblaski
Every facility has challenges – but due to the sheer size of industrial facilities, these buildings have the potential to have industrial-sized challenges
With the average size of an industrial facility exceeding 200,000 square feet, and often with several tenants spanning the space, these buildings have the potential to bring challenges of great scale to the companies that own them.
Roofs are often thought of as the problem hotspot, but as uncovered here, the list of challenges presented by industrial facilities ranges – especially considering the increased demand for energy efficiency. If you own or manage an industrial facility, you must take these things into consideration (as well as the dwindling economy), and come up with creative solutions to the challenges these facilities offer. Check out what some of your peers are doing …
Embracing Energy-Efficient Lighting
"Energy and operational efficiency are incredibly important, especially as everyone is trying to be cost conscious and making sure that a facility is competitive in terms of occupancy," says Joel Pizzuti, president and COO of The Pizzuti Companies. "Trying to determine ways to cut energy costs and looking at different ways to become LEED certified or operate as a sustainable building are important, too."
Tenants are looking not only at lease rates, but also at operating expenses, he explains. "It’s important for owners and property managers to make sure the operating expenses are as controlled as possible. People are scouring their budgets to look at ways to save money; in doing that, it’s important to make sure we still maintain a really high level of service for tenants."
While it may be an extra upfront expense for you, one way to cut operating expenses is to employ alternative energy solutions. The Pizzuti Companies did this by installing prismatic skylights when it built a new facility in Chicago . "We put in a series of prismatic skylights that act as a way to light the building using natural light and not as many high-bay lighting fixtures," says Pizzuti. "This is resulting in a 20-cent decrease per square foot to run the building over the span of a year. On a clear day, we can get 45 to 50 footcandles of natural light inside the warehouse."
Adding skylights are an upfront cost, "but we felt like, long term, it would add a lot of value to the building, cut down on the expenses for our tenants, and make us more competitive when we’re trying to lease the facility," says Pizzuti. Happy tenants and easier leasing down the line make a nominal upfront cost more than worth it.
If natural lighting isn’t an option, the use of energy-efficient lighting is another way to cut operating costs. Think about installing a T5 or T8 system with occupancy sensors. "If somebody is moving within an aisle of racking, that aisle will light up. As they leave, the warehouse lights won’t stay on in areas where nobody is working," says Lance Ryan, vice president of marketing and leasing for Watson Land Company. "Over time, there’s a huge savings in terms of utilities, and [we’re seeing] up to a 50-percent reduction in utility costs with energy-efficient lighting. In addition, you’re also lowering ongoing maintenance because you’re not using warehouse lights as frequently, so your energy-efficient lighting doesn’t require a change-out as frequently."
For complete article-http://www.buildings.com/Magazine/ArticleDetails/tabid/3413/ArticleID/9808/Default.aspx
Kylie Wroblaski (kylie.wroblaski@buildings.com) is associate editor for BUILDINGS magazine.
Considering a lighting retrofit for your office building? You need the expertise and wide selection of lighting products available from Value Energy Solutions. They are one of the largest lighting retrofit companies in the nation. Based in Atlanta, GA. they have been helping building owners reduce their energy bills for almost three decades. To talk with one of their lighting consultants please call (678) 501-4880 or visit their lighting retrofit website- www.valueenergysolutions.com
No comments:
Post a Comment