Improving Efficiency in Commercial Buildings

The results of the survey are a real eye opener. Building owners need more help finding ways to fund improving operations and maintenance efficiency. See below.


(Dallas, TX – July 27, 2012)  According to a recent industry survey that interviewed nearly 4,000 building owners and operators in 24 industry segments, business owners cite four main barriers to improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings:

•    A lack of funding to pay for improvements
•    Insufficient payback or return on investment
•    Uncertainty of savings and performance
•    Lack of technical expertise to evaluate or execute projects

Fortunately, these barriers are simple to overcome with a common-sense approach to the bigger energy savings picture, and the help of a well-trained industry expert. Here are three factors to consider when you are making energy spending decisions:

1.    Increased utility savings
Lower energy bills are the number one driver of energy efficiency spending decisions in the U.S. and Canada. Over time, simple changes such as upgrading lighting systems with energy-efficient light sources and fixtures, installing high-efficiency HVAC units or even adding solar panels to the mix can have a big impact on a company's bottom line. You'll start to save immediately on energy bills, and enjoy a greater return on investment over time, thus helping offset the upfront financial commitment.

2.    Government utility incentives and rebates
There are many incentives available to businesses that invest in energy-efficient products. Government incentives and rebates can further decrease initial costs. In some areas, reduced-rate loans for energy-efficient investments can offer another incentive to help overcome financial obstacles.

3.    Enhanced brand or customer image
Customer attention and retention are two great reasons to invest in energy efficiency. Environmentally conscious consumers take note of businesses that take measures to increase efficiency and lower their carbon footprint, often rewarding them with additional purchases and higher loyalty rates.

For more information, and to find out how Lennox® products can help building owners achieve energy-efficiency goals, visit www.lennoxcommercial.com, or contact a Lennox representative.

Source: Energy Management: "Driving Efficiency," Chain Store Age, October 2011

About Lennox Industries Inc.
A worldwide leader in residential and commercial heating and air conditioning systems, Lennox Industries Inc. is based near Dallas, Texas. Deeply committed to helping consumers and businesses reduce energy needs and lessen their environmental impact, the company offers a wide range of resources for improving efficiency, including a selection of ENERGY STAR® qualified products. Lennox Industries is a subsidiary of Lennox International Inc. and is a global leader in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration markets. Lennox International stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LII." To learn more about Lennox International, visit www.lennoxinternational.com. To learn more about Lennox Industries, contact a Lennox sales representative or visit www.lennox.com.

LD Products Headquarters Awarded LEED Platinum Certification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LD Products' Long Beach Headquarters Awarded LEED Platinum Certification by
US Green Building Council

LONG BEACH, Calif., July 27, 2012 -- In a moment almost two years in the
making, LD Products has announced that its new Long Beach headquarters has
achieved the highest possible ranking of energy conservation and
environmentally friendly building. On June 21, 2012 the US Green Building
Council
(USGBC) officially recognized the building, which houses the online ink
retailer's corporate offices and warehouse, as the first new construction
commercial building to be awarded LEED Platinum status according to the
council's more stringent 2009 v. 3 regulations.

The construction project in Long Beach's Douglas Park business community
underwent a detailed and precise planning process. That process, which was
helmed by founder and CEO Aaron Leon, developer Chuckie Lyons, and project
manager Alex Silber, ensured that the site achieved the highest levels of
energy conservation, sustainability, comfort, and aesthetic appeal. LD
Products, which is already known for providing remanufactured ink and laser
toner as an alternative to new plastic products, has taken its environmental
efforts to a new level with this new site.
Company Senior Vice President Patrick Devane noted, "Customers buy from us
the first time mostly for the great savings. When they find out that they
are doing something good for the environment, it's an added bonus, and I
think it makes them feel good about coming back."

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and it
is used as a measuring system for the sustainability, impact, efficiency,
and indoor environmental quality of new constructions and major renovations.
The USGBC systems awards points to buildings in
5 categories adding up to 100, with 10 extra points available for regional
priority and innovation in design. A minimum of 40 points will earn a
building certified status, while 50 to 59 points is the range for Silver
status. 60 points is the minimum to be certified Gold, and the highest
certification that a building can reach, LEED Platinum, requires a minimum
of 80 points. To earn those points, LD Products' building includes features
like waterless urinals, sound and motion activated lighting, walk-off grates
to reduce dust carried into the building, preferred parking for low-emission
vehicles, and an advanced air filtration system throughout the structure.
"The LD Products facility arguably provides the highest level of energy
performance and occupants comfort out of the nearly 100 green building
projects that we have worked on to date here at Gaia,"
Silber said. "We achieved every one of the 82 total points that were pursued
from the beginning for this LEED project."

The space of the 110,000-square foot facility is dominated by the warehouse,
which ships out thousands of packages each day. Compatible products made to
replace printer brands as well as remanufactured products, which are
cleaned, repaired, and refilled cartridges, are packaged and moved through
the LD Products warehouse to be shipped to customers. The energy used to
power the warehouse automation and conveyor system, lights, and
air-conditioning system as well as the energy used in the corporate offices,
which now stay open 14 hours per day, is provided completely from renewable
energy sources. The grid-connected photovoltaic system on the warehouse
rooftop accounts for 18% of that energy.

While the construction of such an environmentally responsible building did
come with financial costs, it also comes with benefits to the online
retailer. Since moving to the new facility just over 2 miles from its
previous home, LD Products' new headquarters has already saved the company
money on energy costs and is projected to use 47% less electricity and 42%
less potable water than a similarly sized facility.

Beginning over a decade ago with high-quality, low-cost laser toner
cartridges and remanufactured ink cartridges and continuing with today's
construction of a groundbreaking energy-efficient facility, the Long
Beach-based printing supply retailer has found success by combining
responsibility in the community with good business.

For more information, visit http://www.LDProducts.com.

Contact: Nahshon Landrum / Phone: 888.321.2552 x7230
Email: NahshonL@LDProducts.com

GSA Using LEED

More Than 1,200 Businesses and Organizations Commend GSA for Using LEED to Support Innovation and Save Taxpayer Dollars

Washington, DC - (July 25, 2012) - More than 1,200 leading businesses and organizations representing a wide array of industries across all 50 states today sent a letter asking the General Services Administration (GSA) to continue to use the LEED green building rating system to advance innovation in construction and save taxpayer dollars.
The signatories commended GSA for its leadership in improving the energy and environmental performance of federal buildings, citing the recently released sustainability and energy "scorecard" from the White House's budget office. That study showed that federal government investments in energy efficiency over the last four years are expected to save as much as $18 billion in lifecycle energy costs.
"Our nation's top private-sector leaders agree: The LEED high-performance building rating system saves businesses money and helps deliver higher profits through reduced operating costs. The same is true for LEED federal facilities, which are saving American taxpayers millions of dollars a year," said Roger Platt, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Law, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Signatories of the letter are architects, engineers, builders, contractors, designers, planners and product manufacturers. These include Skanska, Tishman Speyer, and Kohler Co., in addition to other high-profile business leaders. They lauded GSA's decision to mirror the private sector in the use of LEED certification to reduce operating costs, save money and eliminate waste. They also agreed that deviating from LEED would add cost to projects. The executives urged GSA to continue to use the LEED building rating system and to focus on the "usability, market acceptance and effectiveness of rating tools rather than distractions focused on a single issue."
"Support for the continued use of LEED by GSA is both broad and deep. Our more than 13,000 member companies are fully engaged in the development and use of LEED. Businesses and organizations are certifying 2 million square feet of real estate to LEED each day. Clearly there is incredible agreement on the value of LEED and green building in general," Platt said.
For a full list of signatories, or to view the letter, visit bit.ly/GSAletter.
About USGBC and LEED:
The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of healthy, efficient green buildings. USGBC is predominantly known for the publication of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Private sector leaders established LEED in 2000 and it has quickly become the most widely used, voluntary, market‐driven building rating program in the country. LEED is largely responsible for the explosive growth of energy‐efficient, high-performance construction, which supports or creates nearly eight million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. 48 companies in the Fortune 100 use LEED certification to reduce operating and energy costs and to increase their bottom lines. LEED-certified buildings are also saving U.S. taxpayers tens millions of dollars every day through these same efficiencies.
USGBC is working with all stakeholders, including companies across all sectors of the building industry, to ensure that LEED remains the most widely used and accepted high performance building rating system in the country. Nearly 1,300 product manufacturers are members of the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees LEED. Manufacturers are the third largest segment of USGBC membership, behind architects and engineering firms, and builders and contractors.

New Solar Products Reduce Payback Time

 ecoSolargy Launches Top-Efficiency Solar Module Lines That Reduce Payback Time by Up to Five Years 

Nanotechnology engineered panels resist buildup and guarantee maximum performance 

IRVINE, Calif. – July 24, 2012 – ecoSolargy Inc., a full service solar solutions provider, announced today the release of its Lotus, Apollo and Zeus series, the company's new high-performance solar module lines. The new series have been designed to improve customer experience by maximizing efficiency and reducing investment payback time by up to five years. In addition to providing high-quality solar products, ecoSolargy develops strategic and installation solutions to fit the business needs of contractors, project developers and building owners.

"An increasing number of businesses have begun recognizing the environmental and cost-effective benefits of going solar," said Alan H. Lee, CEO at ecoSolargy. "ecoSolargy's objective is to facilitate the use of renewable energy through the provision of reliable and affordable solar solutions. The features in our new lines embody our commitment to sustainability, quality and cost-savings for our customers."

The new high-efficiency, black-on-black Lotus solar modules come in three different wattages to fit a variety of solar projects. The Lotus panels are engineered at the molecular level using state-of-the-art nanotechnology. Unlike regular solar modules, nanotechnology-built panels have a smooth surface that prevents water, dust and dirt accumulation, making them self-cleaning, anti-fading, anti-fogging and anti-bacterial. The modules' buildup resistance improves solar energy absorption by up to six percent and increases efficiency by 35 percent over a 20-year period. This feature also eliminates the need for periodical cleaning maintenance and ensures the panels are always performing at maximum efficiency, resulting in cost savings equivalent to a three to five year decrease in payback time.

The Lotus series also offer excellent performance under low light conditions and the black aluminum frames withstand the severest environmental conditions.

ecoSolargy's Apollo and Zeus mono-crystalline photovoltaic modules come in five different wattages that adapt to many budgets and project sizes. In addition to durability benefits –including corrosion and high wind loads resistance – both Apollo and Zeus panels rank high in performance. The Zeus 300W module has the second highest PTC[i] rating out of all 300w mono crystalline PV modules in the market; the Apollo 250W module, when combined with a M215 micro inverter, delivers one of the most efficient system performances in the market.

ecoSolargy is also revamping three of its existing module lines. The Alpha, Orion and Titan series have been improved for maximum efficiency and cost-savings. All the updated panels have more power, are more efficient and ensure quicker investment payback.

ecoSolargy's photovoltaic modules are highly efficient and reliable, and are designed to fit solar projects of all scales. Each panel undergoes meticulous quality inspection, which has earned them a 99.9 percent success rate. The company's racking and inverters are provided by industry leading partners that meet strict quality requirements.

All ecoSolargy solar panels now come with a ten-year workmanship warranty, as well as a 25-year performance guarantee, and can be financed through the company's financing program.

ecoSolargy has on-hand inventory and offers manufacturer-direct pricing on all its products, regardless of the order size. For ecoSolargy products specifications, please visit www.ecoSolargy.com.

About ecoSolargy
ecoSolargy is an American-owned full solar service solution headquartered in Irvine, CA. ecoSolargy's name combines the terms ecology, solar energy and technology and reflects the company's mission—to offer the latest in solar solutions to deliver affordable, clean and renewable energy to businesses and homes striving to achieve economic sustainability. The company has evolved from being a solar (PV) manufacturer to being a comprehensive solar solutions provider to meet the expanding needs of contractors, project developers and building owners.

For more information about ecoSolargy, please visit www.ecoSolargy.com. Follow on Facebook, facebook.com/ecoSolargy, and Twitter, twitter.com/ecoSolargy.