Georgia Power Supports a 'Living Lab' of Sustainability
The long-familiar ASHRAE building in northeast Atlanta is getting a fresh new look and a dramatically upgraded energy infrastructure.
New solar panels gleam in the sun on the roof of The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) headquarters in northeast Atlanta.
Georgia Power is one of the proud "parents" of this solar system as the company, along with General Electric, funded and helped ASHRAE develop the system. The solar panels are one part of a total renovation of ASHRAE's international headquarters building, constructed in 1965. The aging building forced ASHRAE to make a choice: move or renovate. ASHRAE chose the greener option: renovation.
Only two percent of buildings are built new each year. So the greatest opportunity to impact energy consumption is the green modification of existing buildings. Refurbishing ASHRAE's existing building to sustainability standards helps realize a far greater beneficial environmental impact than building a new sustainable building. To that end, Georgia Power also provided an 85-gallon Rheem-Ruud Eclipse electric water heater, one of the most energy-efficient water heaters available.
"Their generous donation helps ensure ASHRAE's headquarters is a showcase of sustainability for the HVAC industry as a whole," said Kent Peterson, ASHRAE president. "With its sustainability and productivity focus, this project demonstrates Georgia Power's commitment to environmental leadership and healthy environments. ASHRAE is grateful for not only the donation, but this dedication to the technologies we are embracing as part of the renewal."
ASHRAE plans to use its renovated building as a "living lab" to test and gather data on sustainability, energy conservation and indoor air quality. Other sustainable building modifications include ground-source heat pumps and a reflective roof membrane expected to minimize heat island effects.
Why would Georgia Power support ASHRAE's efforts? For years, company employees have helped ASHRAE develop heating, water heating, refrigeration and air-conditioning standards that states often adopt into building codes. When ASHRAE began its renovation, Georgia Power wanted to do more than donate funds. The company wanted to tangibly affect the nonprofit's conservation efforts.
The 120 panels constitute the building's solar electricity system, which is expected to produce about 27,000 kilowatt-hours per year as ASHRAE participates in Georgia Power's Green Energy Program. Georgia Power employees helped ASHRAE develop a solar installation that best suits the site. As Lamont Houston, senior vice president of customer service and sales, said, "The benefit of our support is two-fold. First, we are committed to being a good citizen by supporting projects that protect our environment's resources. Second, this building will serve as a 'living lab' allowing Georgia Power to use this structure with customers as a model of new technologies and give us data to share with customers on the implications and performance of these technologies on their sites."
The ASHRAE headquarters renovation will be complete in July 2008. For more information, ASHRAE renovation site.
A technician checks on the new photovoltaic array at the ASHRAE headquarters.
