AIRE

EPA ENERGY STAR Ratings

kzonderwyk — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:04:25 +0000

ENERGY STAR Ratings are currently available for a limited number of building types, including offices, K-12 schools, supermarkets, hotels, residence halls and dormitories, certain medical facilities, and warehouses. These ratings compare energy use and characteristics at your building to buildings across the country. Accounting for differences in weather, size, occupancy, and operating hours, buildings are assigned a score from 0-100. Buildings that earn a 75 or higher are eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR certification.

Most of the buildings operated by a local government such as Arlington County do not fall into these categories, including fire stations, libraries, community centers, and other mixed-use or specialty buildings.

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Building Characteristics

kzonderwyk — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:57:30 +0000

The amount of energy a building uses is determined by a number of factors. These include:

Type and function of building
Size of building
Efficiency of building equipment and systems
The number of people in the building and its hours of operation
Operation and maintenance practices
Age and construction characteristics

A new building will not necessarily use less energy than an older building, just as a large building may not use more energy than a smaller building, based on the other factors mentioned. It is important to view these building energy statistics in context with the function, use, and characteristics of each building.

Energy savings can be gained from virtually all buildings, through improvements in operations or re-investment in more efficient building components (lights, windows, heating and cooling equipment, etc.).

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Carbon Footprint

kzonderwyk — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:59:18 +0000

We calculate the carbon footprint using well-established emission factors for electricity and natural gas. According to U.S. EPA eGRID information for Dominion Virginia Power in 2007, the electricity generation process results in 1.19 pounds of CO₂ emissions per kWh consumed. This 1.2 pounds of CO₂ consists of a generation mix of nuclear power, coal, natural gas, and small amounts of fuel oil and hydro power. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, each average therm of natural gas consumed results in 11.7 pounds of CO₂ emissions. The carbon footprint for each building, then, is calculated based on the amount of electricity and natural gas consumed, multiplied by the emissions factor for each fuel.

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Site and Source Energy Intensity

kzonderwyk — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:06:11 +0000

Site energy intensity is the amount of energy (electricity and natural gas) consumed per square foot of gross building area. This energy is measured by meters at the site. To show electricity and natural gas together, they are converted to a common unit, British thermal units (BTU). There are 3,412 BTU per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity. There are 100,000 BTU per therm of natural gas.

Source energy intensity takes into account the fuels consumed in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, as well as the energy losses from storing, distributing, and dispensing natural gas. The national average is that for every BTU of useful electricity used at the point of end use, 3.34 BTU of energy were consumed to create and deliver that electricity. For natural gas, the ratio is 1.047, meaning that slightly more than 1 BTU of energy was actually needed for each 1 BTU used by the end customer. Two buildings may have the same site energy intensity but different source energy intensities if they use a different ratio of natural gas and electricity.

For example, a typical small commercial building might be 5,000 sq. ft. and consume 50,000 kWh of electricity and 2,500 therms of natural gas in a year.

The site energy intensity is calculated as:

For the same building, the source energy intensity is calculated as:

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Welcome to our Blog

kzonderwyk — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:48:58 +0000

Thanks for tuning in to the new Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) blog! We’ll be sharing tips, news, and insights on all things environmental; we hope you enjoy reading and share your own thoughts too!

Since its inception in 2007, AIRE strives to connect with the Arlington community on environmental topics. Arlington County is committed to creating a more environmentally-sustainable place to live, work, and play, and the AIRE program was established to bring the community into that commitment. Our suite of programs and resources work to encourage, assist, and recognize residents, businesses, and other organizations in Arlington that support that mission.

Check out our website, explore our programs, and find us at events! We look forward to connecting!

Sincerely,

The AIRE Team

Network Operations Center

kzonderwyk — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:36:05 +0000

This new Network Operations Center opened in mid-2011. We will begin reporting on its energy use in 2013 for calendar year 2012.

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South Eads Warehouse

kzonderwyk — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:21:09 +0000

This building was purchased by the County in 2010 and is being used as temporary space for the Water Pollution Control Plant. Part of the facility will be renovated to be the home offices of the ART bus fleet, which is currently located in a temporary facility across the street.

See the data and information below for more on the energy use and savings associated with this building.

Annual Energy Use Intensity*

Energy Snapshot

Address	2900 S. Eads St.
Building Use	Warehouse & Storage
Current Size (sq. ft.)	29,007
Year Built / Major Renovation	1959
Annual Electric Usage (kWh)	2011: 111,000
Annual Natural Gas Usage (therms)	2011: 7,936.1
Site Energy Intensity (BTUs/sq. ft.)	2011: 40,416
Source Energy Intensity (BTUs/sq. ft.)	2011: 72,254
Carbon Footprint (metric tons CO₂ equivalent)	2011: 103
EPA ENERGY STAR Rating	2011: n/a
EPA National Average Comparison	2011: Coming Soon

*Site energy intensity is the amount of energy (electricity and natural gas) consumed per square foot of gross building area.

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Artisphere

kzonderwyk — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:34:08 +0000

The Artisphere opened in October 2010 and is home to three visual art galleries, a two-story ballroom, and several theaters. The space is part of a larger building that the County is leasing from Monday Properties for twenty years.

See the data and information below for more on the energy use and savings associated with this building.

Annual Energy Use Intensity*

Energy Snapshot

Address	1101 Wilson Blvd.
Building Use	Gallery and Performance Space
Current Size (sq. ft.)	47,000
Year Built / Major Renovation	1988
Annual Electric Usage (kWh)	2007: n/a 2008: n/a 2009: n/a 2010: n/a 2011: 1,883,066
Annual Natural Gas Usage (therms)	2007: n/a 2008: n/a 2009: n/a 2010: n/a 2011: n/a
Site Energy Intensity (BTUs/sq. ft.)	2007: n/a 2008: n/a 2009: n/a 2010: n/a 2011: 136,703
Source Energy Intensity (BTUs/sq. ft.)	2007: n/a 2008: n/a 2009: n/a 2010: n/a 2011: 456,587
Carbon Footprint (metric tons CO₂ equivalent)	2007: n/a 2008: n/a 2009: n/a 2010: n/a 2011: 1,025
EPA ENERGY STAR Rating	NA
EPA National Average Comparison	2007: 37% more energy than comparable buildings 2008: 27% more energy than comparable buildings 2009: 15% more energy than comparable buildings 2010: 1% more energy than comparable buildings

*Site energy intensity is the amount of energy (electricity and natural gas) consumed per square foot of gross building area.

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Advisory Group Meeting Agenda

kzonderwyk — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:44:10 +0000

Friday, April 20, 2012

Download the meeting summary here.

7:30 – 8:00 am	Networking – Light Breakfast Provided
8:00 – 8:20 am	Welcome and Update Arlington Green Games Awards
8:20 – 9:35 am	CEP Documents Project review and relationships between documents Document framework and process for review District Energy DRAFT policies and action items
9:35 – 9:55 am	Arlington Public Schools
9:55 – 10:00 am	Wrap-up and upcoming events

Download a PDF of the Agenda here.

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Green Games Awards

kzonderwyk — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:03:04 +0000

Participants discuss their achievements in the Inaugural Season!