While offices do not traditionally use huge amounts of water, heating what we do use was looked at as an area for long-term savings when we built our new facilities in Heber City, Utah.  That was discussed in more detail in our blog post about the heating and cooling system.

Other ways we save on water consumption is by using high-tech assistance. For instance, all the faucets in the building are motion-sensored to minimize water wastage, and all of the toilets are low-flow units using just 1.5 gallons per flush.

 

    

Efficient Lighting Saves Energy

Decreasing electrical usage with an efficient lighting system was important to us at Insight Technology/FactorLoads.  We chose a Lutron lighting system, which has three primary functions. First is an automatic shut off capability.  At 5:30 p.m. all the lights automatically turn off, as do all but one of the electrical outlets in each worker’s cubicle. That way, nearly all electronic equipment is shut down every night automatically, including computer monitors, radios and task lights.

The second function of the Lutron system is motion detection.  The entire 12,000 square foot building employs the sensors so that lighting is only provided in places where there are people using it. If there is no movement, the lights shut off automatically.

The third function of the Lutron system is its natural light sensor.  The system senses how much natural light is coming in through the windows and can either brighten or dim lights accordingly.  Even dimming the lights just five percent on a mildly sunny day equates to substantial energy savings.

To help bring in more natural light and reduce the reliance on electricity, the building was constructed with 24 solar tubes (which are like skylights) that bring in light through the roof. The building also has light shelves on each window that sit atop the interior frames and help bounce light deep into the building’s interior.

 

Walls that Help Regulate the Temperature

Our FactorLoads headquarters has one of the most efficient heating and cooling systems available, but no system can work at its optimal levels if the building it not properly insulated.

That’s why our building uses insulated concrete forms (ICFs) for the walls. Basically, the ICFs are eight inches of concrete with an additional two inches of foam on either side of the concrete.

These highly efficient walls hold a temperature for many hours. In warm months, they trap most of the radiant heating from making its way into the building. The heat is retained long into the night, but by morning they have cooled. The walls hold the overnight coolness long into the day.

In winter, the retained heat in the wall helps save from heating the building at night. This simple process evens out temperature swings, thereby lessening the load on heating and cooling units year round.

Because the building features an open ceiling, no Fiberglas insulation could be used. And since the building’s walls are so efficient we had the contractors add more insulation to the roof to insure it would not be a weak link in the chain.  They added 3.5 inches of gravel/tar mix insulation on the roof which holds the warmth in winter and reflects heat away in summer.

Views of Utah’s beautiful Wasatch Mountains were important to our team, as was the use of energy efficient window technology to better enjoy that view. The building employs all highly-efficient double-paned glass that keeps the cold and heat out. The lobby has double sets of doors, helping even out the exchange of air between inside and outside.

 

 

Pulling from the Earth’s Underground Resources

When we set out to build a green facility for the Insight Technology/FactorLoads headquarters, one of the key features we knew we wanted to incorporate was a ground-coupled heat pump.  Designing and constructing this vital green element involved drilling 15 holes 300 feet into the earth.  There, the temperature of the earth remains a consistent 56 degrees. Fluid-filled piping runs into the holes where it captures the heat there. In Utah’s cold winters, the fluid heated naturally by the earth to 56 degrees gets pumped into the building where the heat is removed, compressed and pumped through the building’s HVAC system. By starting off at 56 degrees, the heating bills are reduced drastically, Aliengena says.  With this system the entire 12,000 square foot building is heated using only electricity, and at substantial savings.  A back-up gas line was put in place as a precaution, but has not been hooked up as it has not been needed.

The ground-coupled heat pump system is twice as effective as a traditional HVAC unit and it’s got practical applications for the summer as well. On hot days, the system transfers heat from the building to the ground loops. In particularly hot weather, the temperature of the earth around the ground loop field can heat up making the system less efficient.  Alleviating that problem meant thinking of alternatives. The system’s designers created a unique secondary loop field on the roof where it disperses heat throughout the night, allowing the ground to cool back down for the next day’s use.  We also modified the unit to heat our hot water during the day.

Additionally, air space under the roof solar unit has fluid-filled piping running through it.  The fluid heats up in the winter, providing radiant heat that is used in the lobby floor. 

Our architect used passive solar to build upon the heating systems. All the windows have exterior sun shades on them that capitalize on the sun’s position in the sky at different times of the year. In the winter, when the sun is low, the shades cannot block it. That allows natural heat into the building.  In the summer, when the sun’s position is high in the sky, the shades block the sunlight’s direct infiltration into the building.

 

The Cost of Green Business

Going green offers a variety of long-term benefits.  In addition to being much better for the environment, it also saves us money in heating and cooling, water, electricity and other expenses.

Knowing we were making a long-term investment meant also understanding that the initial cost of building green was higher than traditional construction.

Now that we’ve been in our space for a couple of years, we clearly see the benefits of building green. As a case in point, the 5,500-square-foot building right next door where we were formerly housed costs about $600 per month in the winter on gas for heating and electrical for lighting and running equipment.  “Our building is more than twice the size of the other, yet we’re spending only about $800 for our electrical – used for both heating and lighting.” Saving money and doing something good for the environment, after all, are what going green is all about.
 

The Insight Technology/FactorLoads green building is more than just saving money.  One of the careful considerations we had to make was how we could avoid using products in our office that are not environmentally friendly.

One of the first things people notice when they walk into our new facility is that we have no carpeting.  Instead, the floors are stained concrete, which saved on materials and are also healthier for the workers in the building, particularly those with allergies and those who are sensitive to chemicals or dust. It’s easy to keep clean, it looks great, and it won’t wear out or trap dirt like carpet does.

 

 

Did you know that the FactorLoads offices are green – as in environmentally friendly?

 

Our headquarters building in Heber City is perhaps one of the most environmentally friendly office buildings in all of Utah. We had the 12,000 square foot space constructed in 2007 east of Provo. Our structure uses the latest technologies for heating and cooling, passive and active solar, motion-controlled lighting, natural materials and environmentally friendly landscaping. In fact, it exceeds what most builders would consider “green.”

 

To achieve our “green” status, we worked with architects from PGA&W and builders from New Star General Contractors. Our goal was to create useful office space that is also practical, cost effective, and comfortable. 

 

See other blog content for more specifics on our green office building.

 

When we set out to build one of the greenest buildings in all of Utah for our Insight Technology/FactorLoads headquarters, we wanted to make sure we would have little impact on our state’s natural resources. That includes our facility’s exterior and grounds, where we incorporated several important green elements.

 

First, we planted a row of Swedish Aspens along the building’s south side.  These attractive trees grow to become a perfect fence line that shades the building in the summer. When the leaves fall off in autumn, the southern exposure allows the heating warmth of the sun to heat the building for the cooler months of the year. They do not get too tall or too wide, which make maintenance easier as well.

 

Second, our facility has very little grass, which typically requires gas-powered motors to cut.  All of the plantings are watered through a drip system when needed. Now that the  lawn and plantings are nearly fully established, we need to use the drip system only rarely.

 

Third, we’ve installed a bike rack to encourage workers to ride to work rather than using gas-powered vehicles.