Page 10 - NJ Cooperator Fall 2020

10 THE NEW JERSEY COOPERATOR —FALL 2020 NJCOOPERATOR.COM Luckily, when it comes to energy, there limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emis- is a wide range of products and technolo- gies that can be implemented to achieve fortable and flexible lighting solution. savings in cost, consumption, and climate impact. Many of the pros we spoke to for can be substantial, both in the electric this article refer to such implementations bills and in the replacement costs,” says as the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of energy up- grades—the easily achievable and rela- tively inexpensive conversions that any bury, Connecticut, and offering services consumer can achieve in the home. Don’t Suck—Unplug The easiest and quickest adjustment, tion of the energy of an incandescent says Terrence Cullen, Communications or even a CFL, and will last 25% longer, Director for New York City Councilman without the wasted heat of either an in- Costa Constantinides, who chairs the candescent or a CFL.” city’s Environmental Protection Commit- tee, is to “Be conscious of the so-called community’s common areas, upgrad- ‘energy vampires’ that pull in electricity if ing to LED lighting in lobbies, hallways, they’re plugged in but not switched on.” garages, grounds, amenities, facilities, Cullen explains that as households add elevators, and anywhere else with elec- more and more electronic devices and appliances to their power load, they might not be aware that those like tele- visions, computers, and their related equipment—cable boxes, routers, printers, and so forth—continue to consume electric- ity if connected to an outlet, even when turned off. Other to major savings for a co-op or condo,” common energy suckers include enter- tainment devices like DVRs, DVDs, and might also take advantage of New Jersey’s video game consoles; electric grooming Clean Energy Program (CEP), which products like hairdryers, curling irons, offers financial incentives and installa- and electric shavers; small kitchen ap- pliances like coffee makers, toasters, and making energy-efficient upgrades. blenders; and comfort or ambiance de- vices like sound machines, portable fans, and Bluetooth speakers. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tives for certain types of LED conversions estimates that 5% to 10% of a typical in August, a lot of multifamily buildings American household’s annual energy bill and communities in the state have al- is from electrical appliances consum- ing energy on stand-by. Unplugging advantage of the higher rates before they these devices when not in use can save a expired. To take it one step further, say household $130 to $230 a year on utility the experts, boards should consider up- expenses, and can reduce their building’s grading the lighting controls as well. “Au- or association’s total energy emissions as tomated systems have the advantage of well. Let There Be LED Another relatively easy energy adjust- ment with a big impact is swapping out He gives the example of Chicago’s O’Hare incandescent and compact fluorescent International Airport, which recently au- light (CFL) bulbs with light-emitting di- odes, or LEDs. Robert Plichta, forensic ing garage. “It’s great,” he says. “The lights architect with Energy Systems Inc. (ESi) stay off when no one is in the area. Mo- based outside of Chicago indicates that tion sensors detect when a person or a both the cost and versatility of LED light- ing have improved over the years. They hotel rooms when the lights are off until now offer a variety of lighting “moods,” someone opens the door,” adding that au- including “warm,” “cold,” and “daylight,” tomated systems have the added benefit he says, as well as different applications of being touchless, making them helpful like strip lighting and even color-chang- ing options. Because LEDs are about 75% more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs and emit one-tenth of the heat of CFLs, replacement can reduce costs while sions, all while providing a more com- “Cost savings \\\[with a switch to LEDs\\\] Tim Schaake, Sales Engineer for USA LED Lighting Solutions based in South- in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. “LEDs use only a frac- When extrapolated to a building’s or tric lighting can have a significant impact for residents—both on their environment and on their wallet. “When you talk about com- mon spaces that must be lit continuously, and that take time and manpower to con- stantly change bulbs, that somewhat minor change can amount Schaake continues. Their association tion programs for multifamily properties Take Control Being that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities reduced the CEP’s incen- ready implemented this change to take shutting off lights or HVAC in areas that don’t get a lot of traffic or that are less used at certain times of day,” says Plichta. tomated the lighting controls in its park- vehicle comes into range, like in \\\[some\\\] in the context of the pandemic by reduc- MULTIFAMILY... continued from page 1 “Be conscious of the so- called ‘energy vampires’ that pull in electricity if they’re plugged in but not switched on.” —Terrence Cullen