Commercial Office Space
Through our entrenched experience in designing energy efficient lighting solutions for Office Property facilities, we have documented many key learnings. These learnings demonstrate our ability to identify and manage the unique engineering challenges associated with every lighting project.
Common Areas
When designing and engineering an upgrade project for an office property many lighting solutions companies focus on the square footage in the common areas and offices only. SES knows that there are significant savings opportunities in the uncommon areas, also. Consider the penthouse where heating and cooling and generators are located. Or, the janitor and supply rooms. These "uncommon" areas account for a substantial amount of square footage and energy consumption in office properties. The additional savings could make or break the final financial analysis and estimated payback calculations.
Sensors
In general, offices that have four or more lighting fixtures should have sensors installed. If there are fewer than four fixtures, there may not be sufficient wattage consumption to generate a reasonable pay-back when the costs of the sensor installation is factored into the cost:benefit ratio.
Safety
SES has a comprehensive safety manual that all employees and contractors must follow, agree to and sign. Lighting projects are not inherently dangerous, but when working with electricity one must practice caution. Our manual is based on years of experience and reflects redundant practices and procedures.
Central Management
Many owners of office properties have several buildings. Our central database and information management system organizes all of the work being done at all of the locations in a single repository. Property owners, SES engineers and technicians all have direct access to the information and knowledge stored in this database for all of the lighting projects being planned, implemented or completed across all office properties. This creates streamlined processes and leverages intelligence about the project and the specific properties and, ultimately, demonstrates SES commitment of 100% accountability.
Financial Services
The financial commitment for a lighting project can be substantial up front. Although the pay-back for the project is greater than the investment over time, financing can create an obstacle. SES relationships financial institutions provide alternatives to financing the project.
Case Study - Nationwide Insurance
Nationwide Insurance boasts two of the tallest sky scrapers in Columbus, OH. So when one of the buildings with 32 floors and over 6000 lighting fixtures started experiencing lighting failures, it was time to bring in Sun Energy Solutions. After several months of conversations about the benefits of a lighting upgrade and retrofit, Nationwide agreed that the combination of both energy savings and the reduction in MRO expenses justified the investment in a complete overhaul of their lighting systems.
Sun Energy Solutions/Eco Engineering provided assistance in every aspect of the project, including the development of their client's Capital Funds Request to secure proper financing for the project. The data and rationale to support the request was gathered through SES's comprehensive investment grade audit.
After the funds were allocated, SES went to work with a sample phase of the project. This phase confirmed that the MRO savings due to the standardization of materials, the related inventory management and labor efficiency, combined with the energy savings, justified the project investment.
SES performed a one-for-one retrofit that delivered higher light levels using 2/3 the amount of power. They installed reflectors that reduced the number of required fixtures by over 50%. For the lamps and incandescent that were located in areas that presented challenges in changing they installed lamps that lasted four times longer using 1/3 the amount of energy. Their thorough evaluation of the facility also included the parking garage where they replaced lamps to make the materials consistent with the rest of the building, creating inventory management efficiencies.
SES provided Nationwide a turnkey solution with a central project management. They were 100% accountable for all aspects of the project and provided the most appropriate technology through their relationships with some of the best lighting companies in the world. Because Nationwide deemed the project a success financially and were pleased with the management of all aspects of the project by SES, they continue their relationship with SES in identifying opportunities for additional energy efficient lighting solutions.
Sun Energy Solutions
The Next Generation of Lighting Efficiency