By Evelyn Royer
Around the world, the cumulative building space declared a level of green by dozens of certification programs is currently 6 billion square feet; by 2020, the figure will reach about 53 billion square feet, the study predicts. Commercial buildings will constitute about 80% of the total figure due to corporations and government agencies requiring their office spaces to be certified, the study said.
The report states that the smaller growth in residential green projects will focus on new construction, particularly large-scale residential developments in China and India, as renovating existing houses to achieve greater energy efficiency, better indoor air quality, and higher recyclable materials content is a more difficult and costly task.
According to the Pike Research report, there are three factors for the dramatic expansion in green building space: the brand value associated with social and environmental responsibility, the cost benefits of energy efficiency, and the growing number of laws requiring green ratings for certain building types.
The report, which considers new and existing buildings in North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, predicts green certification programs in China and India akin to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED will certify about 30% of all new construction in 10 years.
http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/news/2010/06/green-certifications-rise.aspx?rssLink=Green%20Certifications%20Rise
Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions
One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Parking Garages Can Benefit From Energy Efficient Lighting
Frank Kollmansperger says his business is so mundane that it’s interesting.
He’s talking about the business of parking, an industry most of us participate in everyday without giving it much thought.Kollmansperger bought Entry Guard Systems seven years ago, not having ever paid much attention to parking either.
“You drive up to a garage and the machine spits out a ticket,” said Kollmansperger. “It’s just not something most people think about.”Locally-based Entry Guard installs and maintains parking control systems that allow lot owners to control who comes in and out and – ultimately – the revenue. And the company is now trying to convince the mundane industry to embrace a new technology that could save money and energy.
Entry Guard is trying to sell lighting systems for garages that use wireless systems of sensors and motion detectors to turn lights on and off only when there is traffic nearby.
On any given night, say at 2 a.m., every parking garage in downtown Richmond is likely fully lit, Kollmansperger said.
“They are using a lot of electricity.”
The company that makes these lighting systems, called Limelight, estimates that every year 6.5 billion kilowatt hours are wasted in parking garages. That’s $782.2 million a year or $2 million a day, Limelight claims on its website.
The Limelight system at times of low activity in a garage puts fixtures in single bulb mode until the sensor senses motion nearby and turns on to full operation. The systems also can detect when lights are broken or burned out, sending a message to attendants.
But so far, Entry Guard hasn’t had much luck selling the systems, Kollmansperger said.
Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions
One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880
“We have a lot of proposals out but have not installed one yet.”
It may be a tough nut to crack because parking lots make money without worrying much about leaving the lights on.
The Richmond parking world, like most major metropolitan areas, is controlled largely by parking behemoths such as Standard Parking, Central Parking and Lanier Parking, large companies that manage lots and garages for property owners all over the country.
Atlanta-based Lanier, for example, manages 300 parking properties in 40 cities in North America, including 10 of the biggest parking structures in downtown Richmond.
Chicago-based Standard Parking Corp. is publicly traded on NASDAQ and brought in $293 million in revenue in 2009.
Competing hard against these giants are only a few small local companies, including City Parking, a family run business that’s been around since 2004.
David Sharrar, president of City Parking, said the going rate for a parking space in the commercial heart of downtown Richmond is about $120 to $140 per month.
Some of the larger garages have up to 2,000 spaces. And most in downtown’s financial district are sold out from month to month, Sharrar said.
As for Entry Guard’s attempts to break into the local market with Limelight, Sharrar said the technology is exciting, but won’t be an easy sell.
“The challenge is looking into retrofitting older properties with this new technology,” Sharrar said. “It’s unclear right now about what exactly the return on investment is going to be.”
To make matters more difficult, most parking management companies generally don’t have very long-term contracts, Sharrar said. Many are month to month or up to 10 years, neither of which may be long enough to recoup the investment of a high tech lighting system.
The systems will work well for new parking decks, Sharrar said.
And though very few new parking garages have been built recently in part because of the recession, Kollmansperger isn’t giving up on the new technology.
“It’s real estate,” Kollmansperger said of parking spaces. “The owner needs to think about how they are managing that real estate of spaces.”
Entry Guard has seven employees and does business all around the state with the exception of Northern Virginia.
He’s talking about the business of parking, an industry most of us participate in everyday without giving it much thought.Kollmansperger bought Entry Guard Systems seven years ago, not having ever paid much attention to parking either.
“You drive up to a garage and the machine spits out a ticket,” said Kollmansperger. “It’s just not something most people think about.”Locally-based Entry Guard installs and maintains parking control systems that allow lot owners to control who comes in and out and – ultimately – the revenue. And the company is now trying to convince the mundane industry to embrace a new technology that could save money and energy.
Entry Guard is trying to sell lighting systems for garages that use wireless systems of sensors and motion detectors to turn lights on and off only when there is traffic nearby.
On any given night, say at 2 a.m., every parking garage in downtown Richmond is likely fully lit, Kollmansperger said.
“They are using a lot of electricity.”
The company that makes these lighting systems, called Limelight, estimates that every year 6.5 billion kilowatt hours are wasted in parking garages. That’s $782.2 million a year or $2 million a day, Limelight claims on its website.
The Limelight system at times of low activity in a garage puts fixtures in single bulb mode until the sensor senses motion nearby and turns on to full operation. The systems also can detect when lights are broken or burned out, sending a message to attendants.
But so far, Entry Guard hasn’t had much luck selling the systems, Kollmansperger said.
Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions
One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880
“We have a lot of proposals out but have not installed one yet.”
It may be a tough nut to crack because parking lots make money without worrying much about leaving the lights on.
The Richmond parking world, like most major metropolitan areas, is controlled largely by parking behemoths such as Standard Parking, Central Parking and Lanier Parking, large companies that manage lots and garages for property owners all over the country.
Atlanta-based Lanier, for example, manages 300 parking properties in 40 cities in North America, including 10 of the biggest parking structures in downtown Richmond.
Chicago-based Standard Parking Corp. is publicly traded on NASDAQ and brought in $293 million in revenue in 2009.
Competing hard against these giants are only a few small local companies, including City Parking, a family run business that’s been around since 2004.
David Sharrar, president of City Parking, said the going rate for a parking space in the commercial heart of downtown Richmond is about $120 to $140 per month.
Some of the larger garages have up to 2,000 spaces. And most in downtown’s financial district are sold out from month to month, Sharrar said.
As for Entry Guard’s attempts to break into the local market with Limelight, Sharrar said the technology is exciting, but won’t be an easy sell.
“The challenge is looking into retrofitting older properties with this new technology,” Sharrar said. “It’s unclear right now about what exactly the return on investment is going to be.”
To make matters more difficult, most parking management companies generally don’t have very long-term contracts, Sharrar said. Many are month to month or up to 10 years, neither of which may be long enough to recoup the investment of a high tech lighting system.
The systems will work well for new parking decks, Sharrar said.
And though very few new parking garages have been built recently in part because of the recession, Kollmansperger isn’t giving up on the new technology.
“It’s real estate,” Kollmansperger said of parking spaces. “The owner needs to think about how they are managing that real estate of spaces.”
Entry Guard has seven employees and does business all around the state with the exception of Northern Virginia.
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