Energy consumption and sustainability are hot topics in both public and private sectors. The construction industry has remained at the forefront, designing and constructing more efficient buildings with innovative technologies in an effort to conserve energy and maximize savings for our clients. However, most commercial buildings in use today were built more than twenty years ago and rely upon outdated technologies and building materials, rendering them inefficient by current standards.
Commercial buildings alone are responsible for 18% of the total energy consumption in the United States. These buildings have the potential to realize significant energy reductions and financial savings through mechanical retrofits. HVAC systems have made extraordinary advancements in the past two decades–Building Automation Systems, Direct Digital Control systems, variable frequency drives, and high efficiency chillers, for example.
While property owners might assume that retrofits are cost prohibitive, they can reliably expect a payback of investment in three to five years. It is entirely possible to see a return on investment in as little as one year depending upon the size of the building, capital cost, and which types of retrofits are feasible for a specific facility.
The government made funding available to encourage conservation of resources through retrofits. A portion of the $16.8 billion awarded to the Office of Energy Efficiency by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was earmarked for retrofit programs and initiatives.
According to the US Department of Energy, retrofits have the ability to greatly impact our Nation’s sustainability goals:
- Residential and commercial buildings consume 40% of the energy and represent 40% of the carbon emissions in the UnitedStates.
- Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40% per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually.
- Residential and commercial retrofits also havethe potential to cut energy bills by $40 billion annually.
BCH has performed numerous retrofits for government, manufacturing, and office facilities across the state of Florida. We can help commercial property owners reduce operational costs, energy consumption, and their environmental impact, and due to prior and current work with government retrofits, we also have experiential knowledge of the documentation processes necessary for ARRA funded contracts. Please contact any member of the BCH team to learn how you or your clients could save resources through mechanical retrofits.
BCH Mechanical has been a trusted name in Florida construction since 1976, delivering innovative design, high quality craftsmanship and excellent customer service. BCH capabilities include HVAC, plumbing, medical gas, piping, sheet metal, LEED, Design/Build, 3D-CAD/BIM coordination, and HVAC service. Visit BCH on the web: www.bchmechanical.com.