Case Study - Commercial Office Building

Houston Area Office Building

Members of Trio’s management team were hired to perform a lighting retrofit of Houston area office building, a 25-year old, 41-story, 1.25 million square-foot commercial office building located in Houston, Texas. The project scope included a system upgrade of the existing 34-watt fluorescent T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts. The project was initiated in December 2006 and completed in March 2007 and the result of the retrofit is summarized below:

Benefits of Lighting Retrofit:
• 40-50% reduction in energy consumption
• 15-30% increase in light levels
• Standardization of lighting products and reduction in maintenance inventory
• Reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 1,200 tons
• Reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 25,520 pounds
• Reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 16,500 pounds
• Installation of web-based Energy Management System
• Increased property valuation through green initiatives and LEED certification
• EPAct tax deduction
• Payback less than 2 years

Financial Highlights:
• Total Annual Savings - $315,000+
• Average Monthly Savings - $26,250
• 52% ROI


	Improper wiring and grounding account for 80 to 90 percent of all power quality issues. 50% of all power outages are attributed to power quality issues. LEED certified buildings demonstrate an owner’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Without preventative maintenance, the electrical distribution system itself can waste $1,000 to $4,000 in electric utility cost. Green buildings can reduce energy usage by 24% to 50%, CO2 emissions by 33% to 39%, water use by 40% and solid waste by 70%. LEED certified buildings have lower operating costs and increased asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. US buildings account for 40% of primary energy usage, 72% of electricity consumption, 39% of CO2 emissions and 13.6% of potable water consumption. 80% of power quality loss is due to customer operation and neighboring customers, 20% is natural phenomena and utility operations. Commercial and industrial facilities are responsible for nearly half of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. Infrared inspections have proven that on average for every $1 spent on electrical inspections, there is a $4 ROI for materials and labor from fixing the problem before it fails. Window film can cut up to 80% of solar heat penetration which will significantly reduce your air conditioning load A preventative maintenance program can have a direct impact on a property’s net operating income (NOI) by helping owners and managers control operating costs. 30,000 industrial customers are affected by power quality problems every day. A typical 100,000 sq ft office building can save 1 million gallons per year with low-flow fixtures, sensors and automatic controls. A well administered electrical preventive maintenance program will reduce accidents, save lives, minimize costly breakdowns and unplanned shutdowns of equipment. Estimates of U.S. economic losses from poor power quality range from $15 billion to $24 billion per year. Electrical connections can be deformed by over-tightening. This will also cause increased amp draw, power loss and heating. The downtime from power quality problems in mission-critical facilities are estimated to be more than $280,000 per hour. A preventative maintenance program can ensure that a $5 fix does not become a $500 problem. Electrical distribution equipment causes 13,200 fires and 400 million dollars in damage annually in the U.S. Commercial and industrial facilities account for half of all energy consumption in the U.S. at a cost of over $200 billion per year, more than any other sector of the economy. LEED certified buildings qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives in hundreds of cities. Improperly torqued connections and bad contacts cause increased amperage draw and power loss as well as heating and arcing (which is both ineffective and dangerous).

Trio Energy provides turn-key energy solutions by applying Energy Intelligence™. We will identify, design and install projects that will lower your operating expenses while benefiting the environment. Our services and solutions cover a broad range of projects both ahead of and behind the utility meter such as lighting retrofit, window film installation, LEED Feasibility and Energy Star Audits, power quality analysis, infrared scanning, and various other energy-savings projects that will reduce your utility bills.

Trio Energy is participating in the electrical design and installation of the 99K House...

Scope of Work:
Lighting Retrofit
Annual Energy Savings:
$315,000
Environmental Benefits:
Reduced carbon dioxide emissions
by 1,200 tons
ROI: 52%

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Trio Energy • 5909 Gardendale • Houston, TX 77092 • (713) 957-3336