Success Story: Centerplex

Organization Information

Centerplex, Tukwila, Washington
26,000 Sq. Feet
Annual Cash Savings: $23,000
Annual Energy savings: 310,250 kWh
Payback period: 1.5 years
Prevented 465,375 pounds of pollution

Getting Progressive in Seattle

Centerplex, a Seattle-based ENERGY STAR for small business participant, has saved more than 50 percent on its electric bill annually. And before long, it expects to boost its savings to 65 percent by getting even more aggressive about energy efficiency.

This 2-building, 26,500-sq.-ft. commercial office facility has benefited from installing energy-efficient lighting and controls, window films, insulated windows, programmable thermostats, insulating paneling, water-efficient toilet fixtures, and water-conscious landscaping.

The energy cost savings have allowed the office complex’s owner, Jonathan Pool, to focus resources on maintaining the facility and continuing to seek energy-efficient ways to save money. Pool says the complex has also benefited from the good will of its clients, the tenants of Centerplex. “I think there is spillover effect: When you rent space to others, the practices that you engage in attract compatible people. Conservation attracts people who support conservation. They generate less waste and are easier on both each other and the physical plant.”

Energy Efficiency Without Sacrificing Comfort

Pool worked with his local utility, Puget power, to find and select a lighting contractor to upgrade his facility’s 532 lights from 40-watt, T-12 lamps with magnetic ballasts to 32-watt, T-8 lamps with electronic ballasts. Ultrasonic and infrared occupancy sensors were placed in corridors, restrooms, and a carpet, to illuminate them only when in use.

Energy demand in his facility was further cut by three improvements designed to reduce energy losses through the building’s envelope. Pool installed insulating paneling on the insides of two exterior masonry walls and put reflective film on windows exposed to the sun. And this year, he began replacing old windows with low-emissivity coated windows. The new windows are tripling the amount of daylight admitted, reducing the need for artificial lighting without increasing the transmission of heat.

Freshening Up With Programmable Thermostats

Pool also installed ten programmable thermostats to save energy and improve facility comfort. The energy savings come from being able to change heating and cooling setpoints when sections of the facility are unoccupied. The new thermostats also reduced tenant complaints about erratic temperatures.

Conserving Water and Money

Big energy cost savings from water upgrades usually come from reducing the costs associated with heating and cooling water while smaller savings come from the cost of water itself. For Centerplex, lowering the temperature to which sink water was heated saved some money, and replacing toilet fixtures with new water-efficient fixtures cut water use by 50 percent.

Pool also implemented a landscaping program, known as xeriscaping, that minimizes the use of water. By avoiding the use of grass and other thirsty plant life, Pool was able to disconnect the underground watering system and rely on Seattle’s natural rainfall to do the job.

Savings: To Be Continued

Plans for the future of Centerplex include increasing the proportion of outside, fresh air in the building, whenever this will improve energy efficiency. Tenants also will be able to restore control of the heating, cooling, and ventilating system temporarily during nights and weekends at conveniently located keypads, part of a general monitoring and control system. Electricity will be metered at each point of delivery, allowing Pool to pinpoint electricity consumption behavior, Pool will use this information to encourage electricity conservation with financial incentives to tenants.