Energy Evaluation in New Construction
Energy Evaluation in New Construction
When planning for a new building, it is very important to consider the projected monthly cost of electric and natural gas. Unfortunately, most new buildings are designed based on current building codes and a fixed budget. Current building codes require that a building use the current “standard” for energy efficient equipment and materials. These standards do not represent the best equipment or materials from an energy efficiency perspective. For example, T8 fluorescent lighting is the current standard in most building codes, however, LED lighting with advanced lighting controls can save up to 95% more in energy savings over fluorescent lighting. LED’s will cost more up front, but the financial savings will continue long after the two year simple payback period for making this switch.
The value of pursuing a more aggressive energy efficient approach at the beginning can be summarized as follows:
- Lower energy costs increases the building’s market value
- Lower energy costs increases the enterprise’s value if the building is used to generate profit
- State-of-the-art energy efficient equipment and materials will;
• lower monthly utility expense
• defer maintenance
• improve occupant comfort and productivity
• prevent technological obsolescence
• protect against future regulatory imperatives - The IRS 179d tax deduction also helps reduce the higher investment required for more energy efficient equipment and materials by allowing a deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot exceeding “standard” in lighting, HVAC and building envelope.
SES can help you with planning your new building by;
- Reviewing drawings, plans and schedules in order to project estimated monthly energy costs.
- Review plans and equipment choices to improve energy efficiency.
• lighting layout and photometric maps
• HVAC plans and loading calculations
• infiltration and energy loss in building envelope - Develop and manage an RFP process for securing competitive bids for equipment.
- Comparing initial cost, life cycle cost, simple payback and net present value of standard vs more energy efficient equipment.
- Perform required energy savings calculations for 179d filing
