Garden Doing Its Part to Increase Energy Efficiency

Posted in Uncategorized on May 19 2009, by Plant Talk

“Greening” Existing Buildings Works Toward Mayor’s Proposal

Daniel Avery is Sustainability and Climate Change Program Manager at The New York Botanical Garden.

On Earth Day last month, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced major new legislative proposals to increase energy efficiency in existing buildings. The measures, some of which will no doubt prove controversial (and, perhaps in some cases, difficult politically to get through), are a response to the reality of reducing emissions in a densely urban setting.

As perhaps you noticed the last time you strolled around your city block (or any city block), there are buildings everywhere, and collectively they contribute the vast majority—about 80 percent—of New York City’s greenhouse gases. In addition, of the buildings that will be standing in 2030, the date by which the Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030 envisions a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from 2005 levels, 90 percent have already been built. This is why Rohit Aggarwala, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, said to The New York Times regarding the proposed legislation: “Existing buildings are in fact the nut that must be cracked if we are ever going to make a dent on the demand side in terms of energy.”

In terms of buildings, The New York Botanical Garden is much like the city: We have a lot of buildings of many different ages performing an astonishing number of different tasks. We represent, in short, a microcosm of the City’s challenge to reduce building-related emissions. And over the years we have been quietly going at this problem. Such efforts are not as visible or as easy to explain as new green buildings (if you find the list below exciting, you’re officially a policy nerd), but in many ways they are more challenging and more important.

Here are some of the things the Garden has done in its older buildings:

1. Switched most buildings from heating oil to natural gas and heated all new buildings with natural gas, which produces up to 97 percent less carbon monoxide, 25 percent less carbon dioxide, and up to 60 percent less nitrogen oxide, pollutants that contribute to climate change as well as cause respiratory and other diseases.
2. Converted over 90 percent of lighting to more efficient technologies.
3. Converted heating, ventilation, had AC repair performed (HVAC) motors to variable frequency and variable speed models.
4. Introduced high-voltage thermoplastic rods into the water system of the major boiler systems.
5. Installed computerized building management systems in several buildings to continuously monitor environmental conditions and adjust equipment in response.
6. During a summer peak demand day, the Botanical Garden voluntarily switches to backup generators at full-load transfer locations, turning off unnecessary lights and raising building temperatures. Using these techniques, the Garden reduces demand by 10 percent.

Many of these efforts are ongoing—we have just undergone additional energy audits for some buildings through the PlaNYC 2030 effort, which identified some additional steps we can take; we are switching the last of our buildings from oil to natural gas; we continue to upgrade lights and light technology (we’re adding sensors and faders to some buildings right now); and so on. And we’re looking at new ways to generate energy, including what’s known as cogeneration, using renewables such as solar power, and exploring opportunities to retro-commission some buildings to make them operate more efficiently.

The legislative proposals from the Speaker and the Mayor are probably the most aggressive in the country (and perhaps the world?). Here at the Garden we have already made significant progress in “greening” our buildings. I don’t know about you, but I find that exciting. (It’s OK; I already know I’m a policy nerd).