A pilot program of plug load energy reduction strategies at a large office property yielded findings pertaining to tenant education and advance power strip technologies that can help building owners reduce energy consumption.
The Tower Companies conducted the study at a downtown Washington D.C. office building in which they implemented a “Turn it Off!” campaign to encourage building occupants to reduce plug loads. The building was equipped with advanced power strips (APSs) used to plug multiple electronic devices into a wall outlet with built-in technology to reduce plug and process load (PPL) runtimes and save energy when the devices are not in use.
The Tower Companies worked with the Better Buildings Initiative to gain guidance and support on project design, implementation, and analysis. Decision guides and technical specification were created as a result of this program and are available here.
PPLs account for an increasingly large percentage of commercial building energy use. The primary energy use associated with PPLs is projected to grow from 30% to 35% of total commercial building energy use between 2010 and 2025 as the number and energy intensity of plug-in devices continue to increase.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Bechtel, Nautilus partner on sustainable, high-performance data centers
Facilities would use 70% less power for cooling, eliminate consumption of drinking water.
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Surfside condo collapse could spur new legislation
Natl. Institute of Standards and Technology is investigating.
Codes and Standards | Jul 7, 2021
Intl. Code Council appoints committees to lead energy code development
One-third of appointees are government regulators.
Codes and Standards | Jul 1, 2021
COVID-19 made payment delays to contractors much worse
Only one in ten companies is always getting paid in full.
Codes and Standards | Jun 30, 2021
New resource for public sector organizations to develop energy data management program
Dept. of Energy document contains more than 30 examples of successful implementations.
Codes and Standards | Jun 29, 2021
Biden China policy may spur more increased U.S. PV manufacturing capacity
Senate bill proposes advanced solar manufacturing production credit.
Codes and Standards | Jun 28, 2021
Local and state building energy performance standards aim to curb climate change
Owners must up the ante on operations and retrofits.
Codes and Standards | Jun 24, 2021
Biden Administration will restore ‘Waters of the U.S.’ protections ended by Trump
Early revision more likely to hold up in court, says legal expert.
Codes and Standards | Jun 23, 2021
Denver unveils renewable heating and cooling plan
City releases roadmap to decarbonizing existing homes and buildings.
Codes and Standards | Jun 22, 2021
Actually, few companies plan to significantly reduce their office footprint
CBRE survey shows that many firms will continue with hybrid work.