Looking to make your commercial facility more sustainable? Whether you’re in the design phase, construction phase or looking to renovate an older building, implementing energy-efficient mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) designs will not only help to reduce your overall energy usage, but also help owners save big on utility costs. And KMB Design Group is your full service structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical engineering firm providing quality, custom energy solutions that can deliver those results.
No matter what phase you’re in, you can operate more sustainably, boost your ROI and start saving energy immediately with sustainable MEP solutions.
Sustainable MEP Solutions to Boost ROI
Did you know that for many facilities, the electrical demand is responsible for more than half of overall utility costs? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for 25% of energy used in commercial buildings and HVAC systems account for 32% of energy use. Although lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) are all essential to a productive building environment, they are the biggest users of that energy in the average commercial building.
How much energy is used by lights and HVAC varies greatly by building depending on a number of factors including: mechanical equipment, daylighting options, timing of usage, age of building, insulation, windows, etc. So, in order to lower costs and reduce a building’s environmental impact, it’s important to optimize the designs and efficiencies of these systems.
And it can be measured.
The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) is an internationally recognized measure of sustainability, used in 77 countries across the globe. Aiming to address the 5.6 million commercial buildings in the US that are not making enough effort to improve their sustainability, BREEAM US uses an assessment method, BREEAM In-Use, which drives property owners and investors towards sustainable improvements in existing non-residential buildings.
Electrical engineering firm, KMB, is committed to promoting the conservation and sustainable use of materials and energy to minimize the impact on the environment. For example, we strategize ways to make use of a building’s natural lighting, ventilation and heat sources and integrate new efficient technologies (such as LED lighting and smart technology-driven lighting control systems) into all operations which ultimately improves operational sustainability and energy efficiency.
Energy Efficient Buildings to Grow Through 2020
According to a new report, “Global Energy-Efficient Building Market 2016-2020,” the global energy-efficient building market is expected to see steady growth through 2020, growing at 9.6 percent annually. This report covers the market landscape and attributes the growth primarily to the need for energy management, technological advancements and increases in the number of green buildings.
The report says a key growth driver is the need for energy conservation. “Buildings consume a high amount of electricity, resulting in high energy spending. This mainly depends on building occupancy, i.e., the number of people using electricity for various applications and diverse business operations.” This constant depletion of energy from natural resources (without replenishment) along with a simultaneous increase in energy demand, has also resulted in a marked increase in energy costs. For example, in the United States, the average electricity price for retail and residential sectors increased 2.3 percent annually from 2008-2015. That increase has led to the growing demand for energy-efficient buildings and alternative sources of energy worldwide.
Which leads us to renewable energy.
Renewable Energy
Over the past decade, buildings that have been historically focused on architectural design and external image have now shifted their focus to having both architectural award winning designs and being environmentally friendly. Interest in low-energy designs and incorporation of solar panels that deliver clean and renewable energy also highlight an organization’s commitment to a lower carbon future.
Considering lighting, computers, and HVAC systems have a great impact on electricity consumption in commercial buildings, incorporating renewable energy sources, like solar, can maximize efficiency of the electrical system and decrease overall energy costs.
Professional Electrical Engineering Firm Solutions
Our aim at KMB Design group is to assist clients with sustainable solutions; whether it’s brand new construction, retro-fit or renovation we strive to exceed your needs. The KMB engineering staff will prepare an extensive MEP design narrative illustrating the systems involved and their operations and benefits.
As a full service structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical engineering firm, our energy modeling services can also help you determine a building’s energy usage and can be a powerful tool to assist the project team in accurately evaluating energy reduction strategies.