Articles

With the NCIA Cannabis Business Summit around the corner, we wanted to provide some information that can be a resource to utilities, energy efficiency folks, industry vendors, and cannabis cultivators alike. Earlier this year, ERI in collaboration with Southern California Edison (SCE) completed a Market Characterization of Indoor Cannabis Cultivation. This study focuses on fully indoor cannabis cultivation but also …

There is an abundance of data all around us. Up until recently most of this data was unable to be collected for any number of reasons. Perhaps it was too labor intensive to monitor and track it, or perhaps the data was not useful enough to justify purchasing and installing equipment. Enter the Internet of Things, or IoT. The IoT …

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, most people would never think about how many times the air inside their office building was cycled, filtered, and ultimately exchanged for fresh outside air. However, as employees are beginning to return to the office this summer, many are thinking about how clean the air inside their office really …

Whether you’re changing out your HVAC, lighting, or performing tenant improvements, building decisions or ownership approval usually boil down to budget. Financial constraints are often the limiting factor when retrofitting systems or equipment. Sometimes facility upgrades can be justified with utility rebates, tax credits, discounts, or other monetary incentives to make your budget work. While this is effective, oftentimes the …

For many multi-tenant property owners, the process of allocating utility costs along to tenants can be a challenge. While tenant spaces can be set up with direct utility meters, this doesn’t work well where tenant spaces may be reconfigured and built out differently for each new tenant’s needs. Pro-rating energy use by the square-footage of each tenant space can provide …

Fire season is upon us. Due to California’s recent storms, there are multiple thousand-acre fires across the state that are threating homes, business, and utility infrastructure. This is nothing new from previous fire seasons in California but as time progresses, we learn new ways and methods to adapt to these conditions in the short term. During 2020, all California utilities …

One of the most complex barriers to a successfully energy efficiency project is educating the staff and other stakeholders on how and why energy is being saved. It is quite common for systems to revert back to “normal” after implementing system upgrades that significantly reduce the energy savings and all the great work that was performed. Strategic Energy Management (SEM) …

Data centers can be extremely energy intensive. The server hardware in even a small data center will account for hundreds of kilowatts of demand. Not only that, but kilowatts of computer hardware generate kilowatts of heat, which then has to be cooled to keep the servers running. Energy efficient data centers can be developed from the ground up to minimize …

During the past few months, the majority of commercial buildings have significantly ramped down their occupancy to being vacant. As buildings now prepare for reopening, the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) created an Epidemic task for to provide recommendations and guidance for getting buildings ready for the workforce. The guidance is a great resource for building …

The COVID-19 pandemic is having wide-reaching, uncertain, and potentially long-lasting economic impacts. This is a double-edged sword for energy efficiency. On one hand, energy efficiency projects are a great tool for businesses looking to reduce costs without compromising on their services. However, energy efficiency projects often require a level of financial investment that may be difficult to justify given the …

One of the most cost-effective methods to improve your building or facilities is through energy efficiency projects. They reduce your utility costs, improve the life of your equipment, and can provide improved functionality to your systems. Energy efficiency projects can be as simple as setpoint adjustments, scheduling modifications, and motor speed optimization with more complex upgrades such as Variable Frequency …

Building managers, owners, and operators are finding ways to reduce operating costs for their unoccupied buildings while shelter in place orders for COVID-19 remain in effect for many areas. With these significant changes to building occupancy and facilities management, ERI has received questions about what energy management strategies should be considered. There are some simple actions that can be taken …

In these uncertain times, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recently provided guidance for building operators that have questions about steps to be taken for the operation of commercial buildings housing essential services staff. These steps are broken down into two categories: Non-HVAC measures: the most critical, highest priority actions HVAC measures: those be completed after …