A new permanent exhibition has opened at the Empire State Building in New York, showcasing the $20 million energy retrofit project in the city landmark.

The interactive, multimedia attraction aims to bring awareness to 3.8 million people that visit the iconic building every year regarding building efficiency and sustainable living practices.

Read more on BrighterEnergy.org. Submit your comments below.

What energy efficiency improvements can your organization showcase?

Representatives from some of the largest corporations in the Pee Dee gave tips to local businesses on reducing carbon footprints and the long-term benefits of making the switch to more sustainable practices during a brunch at the Pee Dee Realtors Association on Tuesday.

“In the future sustainable projects are really going to pay the bills for companies,“ Eric Meringher of Johnson Controls said.

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How are you greening your office?

An Ohio firm is paying the Raleigh County Commission a visit next week to see if it can find ways of making the eight county-owned structures more energy efficient.

If that can be done, it could translate into some more borrowing power for the commission, with special regard to installing new courthouse windows.

Read more in The Register-Herald.  Submit your comments below.

How could your local government improve the energy efficiency of public facilities?

The second seminar in the OakGreen County Sustainable Communities series took place Tuesday, July 6, 2010, and was presented by Johnson Controls. 

The seminar brought a number of individuals from the community together to learn about green financing resources and pending legislation in Michigan.

Read more on GreeningDetroit.com. Submit your comments below.

How is your organization financing energy efficiency improvements?

The extensive retrofit project is the first under the Victorian Government’s Greener Government Buildings program, a new initiative designed to reduce the government’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cut energy use and costs and save water. By 2018 the program aims to implement Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) or similar projects at sites that account for 90 percent of the state government’s total energy consumption, implementing projects that comply with an eight year payback period. The program was developed by the Department with the support of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation.

The first Greener Government Buildings project includes 11 office buildings in Melbourne’s business district as well as five regional office buildings, which together represent the majority of the Government’s owned office portfolio. When completed later this year, the retrofits in these buildings are forecast to reduce energy use by at least 33 per cent, water use by 8 per cent and GHG emissions by 9,400 tonnes annually, which together will save $1.4 million (AUS) in operational costs per year.

Several patented Australian technologies are part of the retrofit, including the Shaw Method of Air Conditioning and E1 lighting. The project is also forecast to deliver a net present value (NPV) of more than $6 million (AUS), thus creating both positive financial and environmental outcomes.

“Johnson Controls is working hand-in-hand with local contractors and suppliers in Australia, applying our global expertise as a provider of energy solutions,” said Michael Harris, vice president and managing director, energy solutions, Johnson Controls. “Optimizing a facility’s operating and energy efficiency is the logical first step in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and a very cost-effective, efficient way to go green.”

The improvements are being made under an EPC model in which the guaranteed energy savings over the life of the contract offset the cost of the upgrades. This is one of the best practice models that CCI works on with global building owners. Johnson Controls’ contract with the Department of Treasury and Finance is for 10 years.

This is not the first time CCI and Johnson Controls have collaborated on an energy efficiency project. CCI and Johnson Controls are part of the team that is helping the Empire State Building in New York City reduce its energy use by 38 percent and energy bills by $4.4 million a year. Johnson Controls is currently working with the Victorian government, other Australian state governments and large private organizations to roll out the energy performance contracting model to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions in major Australian cities.

The Bradford County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a contract with Johnson Controls Inc. to undertake a $3 million project to make the six main buildings owned by the county more energy efficient.

The project is not being paid for with taxpayer dollars, the commissioners said. Instead, over the next 15 years, the project will more than pay for itself through reduced utility bills and reduced maintenance costs on energy-related equipment, such as air conditioners and water boilers, said Steve Gates, a spokesman for the Bradford County Energy Management Committee.

Read more in The Daily Review. Submit your comments below.

What is your local government doing to make its facilities more energy efficient?

The “Put Your Building to Work” calculator allows users to select the type and location of building in which they work or operate, and insert the building’s square footage and annual energy costs. The calculator generates the estimated savings that can be achieved by optimizing energy efficiency.

“By providing an interactive calculator for microsite visitors, we want to personalize the impact that adopting building efficiency solutions can have on any organization or community,” said Dave Myers, president, Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls.  ”The microsite also profiles important case studies of our customers.  It illustrates the ways in which we have partnered with them to make their buildings more energy efficient while at the same time saving money and reducing their carbon footprint.”

The site features a range of case studies users can access across vertical industries, including: corporate offices, healthcare, real estate, government and education in all regions of the country.  Many of these organizations have increased the efficiency of their buildings, including energy and cost savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, by partnering with Johnson Controls.

The home page of the microsite features extraordinary images of customer projects that the Johnson Controls Building Efficiency business is undertaking in building renovation.

Wilson County Schools selected Johnson Controls, the global leader in delivering products, services and solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings, to manage the energy program as part of an energy performance contract.

“This project with Johnson Controls will help us reduce our energy consumption and operational costs while providing our schools with more efficient buildings,” said Mike Davis, Wilson County Director of Schools. “The facility improvements will create a more productive learning environment for students and staff using fiscal responsibility through performance contracting.”

Program Improvements
Facility improvements include the installation of more than 700 heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in all buildings, and a geothermal heating system at Carroll-Oakland Elementary School. Rain sensor technology will be installed at the athletic fields of five schools to monitor irrigation needs. Additional water conservation measures include the installation of an irrigation well to will supply water to Mount Juliet High School’s athletic fields, reducing the dependence on municipal water for field maintenance.

Infrastructure improvements include the installation of a centralized building management system that will provide facility managers with remote monitoring capabilities and the ability to adjust temperature systems via an Internet connection. Lighting upgrades across all 20 facilities include the addition of more than 1,400 occupancy sensors and upgrades to more than 400 exterior lighting fixtures, as well as the comprehensive lighting retrofitting of four gymnasiums.

“The Wilson County Schools facility management team shares many of the same challenges as others across the state of Tennessee dealing with older, inefficient facilities,” said Joe Bond, K-12 Building Efficiency Consultant, Johnson Controls. “District leadership recognized the opportunity to improve energy usage, upgrade their facilities, and reduce operational costs while enhancing student performance and optimizing staff efficiency.”

Program Funding
The program is being funded through an energy performance contract with Johnson Controls. The contract helps organizations significantly reduce their utility costs and carbon footprint without increasing operating budgets. The cost savings generated will repay the project capital investment over the term of the contract.

Additional funding is being provided by Build America Bonds, taxable bonds designed to reduce municipal borrowing costs through federal subsidies or tax credits; the Energy Efficient School Initiative, which provides funding to schools for energy efficiency projects in Tennessee; and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Commercial Efficiency Advice and Incentives Program, which supports energy initiatives that reduce power use during peak periods.

Project construction is expected be complete in October 2010.

Want to keep the Gen Y’ers in your office happy? Make sure that you embrace sustainability in a very public way.

A new report from Johnson Controls tells us that 18- to 25 year-olds want evidence that their employers are going beyond the minimum levels of environmental compliance by embracing all things green on an everyday basis.

Read more in Fast Company. Submit your comments below.

What is your organization doing to embrace green?

Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic joined with representatives from Focus on Energy, Johnson Controls and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District (MMSD) to reveal a number of environmentally friendly upgrades recently completed at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The upgrades were performed as a result of the “Green Print” legislation, which was adopted in 2007.

Read more in Milwaukee County First. Submit your comments below.

What’s happening in your community to green public facilities?