Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/284451
18 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | APRIL 2014 Catching up with our energy efficiency WAC Clubhouse enjoying benefits of building upgrade Sustainability I f the best things in life are free, then the Club's recent energy-efficiency upgrade must be near the top of the list. Since completing a major Clubhouse upgrade two years ago, the WAC has been using about 20 percent less energy. "We're very pleased with the results," Vice President Operations Bill Cohen says. "It was a big project, and it's great to see our efforts paying off." The project replaced all of the Clubhouse's heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning controls. A new unified digital energy management system monitors usage and regulates consumption based on real-time needs. The project, which wrapped in spring 2012, also included more than three miles of new cable building-wide. Funding from a U.S. Department of Energy grant and Seattle City Light incentives helped pay for the project. An agreement with project contractor MacDonald-Miller is offsetting the rest of the cost via actual energy savings through 2019. With MacDonald-Miller guaranteeing the Club no out-of-pocket costs, the project accomplished long-term efficiency upgrades much sooner than otherwise might have been possible. During the 2013 calendar year, the WAC Clubhouse used 811,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and nearly 5,000 thousand pounds of steam less than it would have without the upgrade. Overall, our carbon footprint dropped by 566 metric tons on the electric side and 244 metric tons on the steam Did you know that WAC member Denis Hayes organized the first Earth Day, held in April 1970? Earth Day TUESDAY, APRIL 22 side. According to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conversion calculator, that's equivalent to removing the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 160 cars. "This project is bringing our building into a new era," Building Operations Manager Mike Young says. It's also just one step— albeit a big one—in an ongoing process. Since the energy upgrade, the Club has also added electric-car charging stations in the WAC Garage. Looking forward, Mike says possible future improvements to Clubhouse energy efficiency could include occupancy- based lighting programs and other smart technologies. "We're doing everything we can to keep our building up with the times while also protecting its historic integrity," he says. "It's a great challenge to have." M I K E Y O U N G A N N A D E L A P A Z Charging stations in the WAC Garage offer important access for gas-free vehicles. A vivid illustration of some of the new technology helping the Club become more environmentally responsible. The old analog energy control system, about one-third of which is pictured on left, was replaced by modern network-based digital controls, right.