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April 2023 Member News

(The following summaries may have been condensed)

 

Aeroseal Supporting Project for Clemson University

Aeroseal, LLC started work on their biggest university project to date on March 20. They are working with Johnson Controls, Inc. as a key ECM for an energy savings project with Clemson University. The retrofit project includes 35 buildings, some of which date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s such as Tillman and Hardin Halls, and are part of Clemson’s state-designated historical districts. The design airflow for the entire project and all air handling units is 2.3 million CFM. The project is scheduled to take ten months and will continue through late 2023 / early 2024.

 

DesignLights Consortium Announcements

Pilot Opportunity: Networked Lighting Controls for Small and Medium Buildings

Small and medium-sized buildings make up a large portion of the building stock and provide a huge opportunity to capture additional energy savings. To help facilitate the adoption of lighting controls in these buildings, the DLC is developing a new program, and we’re looking for a couple of lighting controls projects to pilot tools designed to streamline the project process. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Jason Jeunnette.

Light at Night and the Inequality Gap: Integrating Equity into Public Projects

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law by President Biden in August 2022 authorizes $370 billion for clean energy and efficiency projects. The act focuses on communities that have historically been underserved economically and over-burdened by environmental issues and pollution. Because lighting will factor into many public infrastructure projects funded through the Act, it offers a once in a generation opportunity to install equitable and responsible outdoor lighting. Bringing equity into the illumination of public spaces will require cities to take a new approach to public lighting projects, and ESCOs and manufacturers are an integral part of this. Read the full blog post here: https://www.designlights.org/news-events/news/light-at-night-and-the-inequality-gap-integrating-equity-into-public-projects/.

 

Paul Zasada Promoted to ECM Holding Group President

ECM Holding Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that TEL division Vice President Paul Zasada has been promoted to ECM President. We look forward to Paul leading operational excellence while producing strategic growth, improving business performance, and continuing to integrate financial systems across all six divisions. Former President Erik Larson will move to CEO, and former CEO Tom Laufenberg will move to Chairman of the Board with limited operational duties.

Paul joined ECM as Vice President/GM of TEL Americas when ECM acquired TEL affiliate Green Energy Hoods in 2015. Today, TEL Americas is one of the largest ESCO-focused lab controls businesses in North America. He integrated this new unit into ECM, then successfully drove growth and operations nationwide for eight years before this promotion to president of the parent company.

During his time at TEL, Paul helped lead the industry to improve lab safety, M&V sophistication, and energy performance standards. Paul will continue to shape the future of TEL Americas in his new role.

“Mr. Zasada is a great choice to lead the ECM team,” stated Erik Larson, CEO of ECM Holding Group, “His success driving sales while developing a best-in-class operation at TEL make him the perfect candidate to lead ECM to new heights.”

With over 25 years of experience in the design/build and energy services business, Paul Zasada has been involved in the evaluation and implementation of over $300 million in mechanical and energy efficiency projects. His career includes all aspects of energy project development and implementation, including distinguished engagements with Sempra Energy and Chevron Energy Solutions.

Prior to ECM, Paul served as the Inland Northwest Regional Director for McKinstry, greatly expanding the geography, offerings, and revenue of this region in his eight-year tenure. Notably, his team and business grew significantly during the 2008 recession.

Paul was a board member for the Spokane Regional Plan Center (formerly the Spokane Construction Council) where he served as Chairman and was an Executive Committee Member for the Spokane STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Network. Paul earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering at Syracuse University in 1988, and formerly held his Professional Engineering License in NY.

 

EMPEQ’s Fast Site SurveyTM selected as a solution for renewable heating and cooling projects in New York State’s largest utility footprint

EMPEQ was named as a partner in Consolidated Edison’s (Con Ed) Clean Heating program. The company’s Fast Site Survey technology was a leading reason for the EMPEQ’s selection as one of only four program partners chosen by New York State’s largest utility. Con Ed launched the program to address electrification of commercial and industrial buildings within their New York City and Westchester County footprint. In keeping with the utility’s commitment to sustainability, Con Ed has pursued strategies to aid building owners in making the transition from fossil fuel-based heating to clean heating equipment like air and/or ground source heat pumps. However, there have been several challenges that have prevented widespread adoption of these technologies over the past several years. As a result, Con Ed sought partners to bring market-based solutions to this challenge with a desire to create a breakthrough in clean heating adoption that can be self-sustaining. This is precisely why EMPEQ and its Fast Site Survey product was chosen to partner on this opportunity: not only is it a proven solution that allows contractors and engineers to reduce time spent on initial building assessments by 80%, but it also gives building owners access to virtually every conceivable commercial financial product from Fast Site Survey’s finance module. Ultimately, Fast Site Survey is trusted to help contactors and engineers acquire customers faster while giving building owners the tools they need to actually implement the proposed changes – an all-in-one, dependable combination that represents exactly the type of solution Con Ed was searching for. As a New York State company, the partnership has special meaning for EMPEQ. CEO and Marine Corps veteran Herbert Dwyer remarked “New York is our home. To have the largest utility in our State choose to partner with EMPEQ is a humbling reality.” COO and Upper Mohawk Nation member Derek LaClair added, “I’ve lived my entire life in New York State and my family has roots in this area that go back countless generations. I could not be more excited that EMPEQ will be playing such a key role in making our State’s largest city cleaner and greener for future generations.”

 

Energy Systems Group Names Steven Craig President

Energy Systems Group (ESG), a subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, announced that Steven Craig has been named President. In this capacity, Craig is responsible for leading all facets of ESG’s business, with a focus on working across the organization to execute the company’s customer-centric strategy in its various markets.

“Steve assumes the role of President at a time when our growth potential has never been more promising. As our industry and customers continue to embrace cleaner energy initiatives, resiliency, sustainability, and increased use of public and private funding, we have a unique opportunity to expand our business offerings and relationships,” said Monica Karuturi, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, CenterPoint Energy. “Steve is a highly respected leader, with the vision, purpose and passion to move ESG forward. With his knowledge of our company, our markets and the industry, I have no doubt that he will excel in this key role.”

Craig has more than 30 years of experience serving customers in the energy infrastructure and power generation sectors, including providing financial oversight and serving in functional leadership roles. He joined ESG in 2019 and most recently served as Vice President, Sales, Business Development and Marketing. In this capacity, Craig sets the strategic direction for the company’s enterprise-level sales, business development and marketing efforts. He also provides overall leadership of the sales excellence, training, and development priorities.

 

FreMarq Showcases Curtain Wall Technology

As a high-performance curtain wall manufacturer, FreMarq’s mission is to reverse the impact of climate change by reducing a building’s carbon emissions through the use of  Zero•Net™ fenestration products. FreMarq currently offers products with performance values anywhere from U-Value of 0.28 to 0.138 (R-7). With recent research and design, tested - and are on the cusp of manufacturing an R-10 curtain wall system by the end of Q1 2024. This performance is going to change the curtain wall industry. The R-7 system is available in both Unitized Curtain Wall and Pressure Wall today.

 

Johnson Controls and Rockingham County Schools Collaborate on Building Technology Improvement Initiative Funded by $12M in ESSER Resources

Johnson Controls has reunited with long-time partner Rockingham County Schools, NC to allocate $12M in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding towards addressing HVAC deferred maintenance. In a two-phased approach, Johnson Controls replaced and installed heat pumps at select schools as well as upgraded the district-wide Metasys® digital controls to deliver enhanced environmental outcomes by the end of summer 2023.

An investment-grade audit completed in 2018 revealed the district, like 41% of its K-12 peers, had a deferred maintenance backlog which negatively impacted the performance of its HVAC systems. When federal ESSER funding became available to K-12 institutions, the district looked to Johnson Controls for guidance on how to best utilize its available federal resources following a competitive RFQ bid process. Johnson Controls was awarded the design-build contract in close collaboration with SKA Consulting Engineers.

"We are proud to work with Rockingham County Schools leaders to translate ESSER funding into tangible outcomes that make a difference in student's academic careers. The county's district leaders are true champions for healthy K-12 experiences." – Maureen Blase, vice president and general manager of Sustainable Infrastructure at Johnson Controls

“The federal funding made available to school districts is a one-time opportunity, so it’s critical that K-12 leaders take the time to maximize these dollars to the fullest,” said Erselle Young, assistant superintendent of operations and logistics at Rockingham County Schools. “Working with Johnson Controls granted us the expertise and resources to understand exactly where these funds could be allocated to have the most beneficial impact on our students and staff.”

Based on Johnson Controls facilities audit, it was determined the district needed to replace inoperable and outdated HVAC equipment in six facilities. The upgrades needed to seamlessly integrate with the schools’ existing infrastructure in the most cost-effective way possible. In addition to multiple heat pump replacements and installations in three schools, the Johnson Controls team also upgraded Rockingham County’s Metasys® digital controls to allow for remote monitoring and a better understanding of the solutions’ overall health and performance.

 

Linmore Announces Product Availability

Linmore is pleased to announce the Ace LED High Bay (AH1) has been listed on the DLC QPL. All models are DLC Premium now except AH10S-A2-24K and AH10S-A2-48K, which are pending and will be listed by the first week of April.

This cost-effective high bay features an aluminum die-cast housing and cast aluminum heat sink, achieving great heat dissipation and structural rigidity. The long-life LEDs give you great energy efficiency in all applications.

An optional Plug & Play field-installable PIR occupancy sensor allows for ON/OFF/Dimming with hold and stand-by timers to increase energy savings even more.

For more information: Ace LED High Bay (AH1) | Linmore LED

 

McWong Adds DLC Certification to its Award-Winning  TruBlu Bluetooth mesh Outdoor Control Solutions

McWong International, has received notification from the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) that its TruBlu™ wireless mesh outdoor controls have been qualified on DLC’s Networked Lighting Controls Qualified Products List (QPL).

DLC's Networked Lighting Controls QPL identifies systems that are eligible for utility rebates and incentives by meeting annually updated performance and efficiency specifications. The QPL is designed to facilitate widespread market adoption of advanced technology by enabling energy providers to optimize energy savings and integrate control systems into their incentive programs.

The TruBlu outdoor control offering includes a range of hardware devices, including motion sensors, fixture controllers, and photocells, as well as software-driven capabilities from McWong’s technology partner Silvair, such as astronomic and scheduled control. Feature-rich, the devices include robust performance ratings such as IP65 for harsh environments, industry-standard low voltage connectors for easy installation, and numerous mounting options.

Blane Goettle, McWong Executive Vice President, notes, “We are very pleased to add DLC certification to our outdoor control offering. Together with our indoor solutions, this networked lighting control platform offers the most comprehensive choices available in the marketplace today. This, along with an unmatched level of interoperability, ensures that customers have unprecedented flexibility with designing and deploying these advanced controls.”

 

Metrus Energy Hires Bill Kenworthy as SVP of Sales

Metrus Energy, announced the hiring of industry veteran Bill Kenworthy as Senior Vice President, Sales, with responsibility for the entire Metrus sales operation and as an integral member of the company’s leadership team.

Kenworthy joins Metrus after successful stints running sales teams for various leading energy and consulting firms.  He was most recently at Edison Energy in New York City where he served as Vice President, Energy Optimization.  Prior to Edison, he was VP of Sales and Marketing at Centrica Business Solutions.

“We’re thrilled to have someone with Bill’s experience and expertise join us at Metrus,” said Bob Hinkle, CEO, Metrus. “Bill is going to play a pivotal leadership role for us as we continue to scale our energy efficiency business and expand our Energy-as-a-Service platform.”

Having managed dozens of engineers who are NAESCO members during his career, Kenworthy stated, “I know how important the standards and principles are that they define, enforce, and promote on behalf of the ESCO community. One thing I share in common with NAESCO is a commitment to driving client outcomes around sustainability, resilience, efficiency, and optimization.”

 

Rexel Energy Solutions Awarded U.S. Postal Service Contract for the Supply of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Rexel Energy Solutions (RES), a Rexel USA business unit, has been awarded a three-year contract with the U.S. Postal Service for the supply of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to be deployed at Postal Service facilities. The contract includes two additional options of two-years each, and a potential maximum of 41,500 stations which can be ordered during the contract's period of performance. As one of the country’s leading distributors of EV charging products and services, as well as energy optimization and electrification programs and solutions, RES is prepared to apply its technical expertise, industry foresight, and distribution experience for successful program deployment.

“Rexel Energy Solutions is proud to be selected to support the U.S. Postal Service in the electrification of the nation’s largest federal fleet,” said Christopher Monoson, President of RES. “The awarding of this contract solidifies Rexel and RES’ leadership in providing electrification solutions across the United States. Rexel’s commitment to our Environmental Sustainability, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategic roadmap and our goal to be the leading sustainable solutions resource to our customers align perfectly with the U.S. Postal Service project.”

 

Siemens Helps One of America’s Most Densely Populated Cities Create a Sustainable and Resilient Future

The city of Cudahy, California, one of the most densely populated incorporated cities in the U.S., needed to address much-needed maintenance at several of its municipal buildings. With numerous facilities dating back to the early 1950s, Siemens and the city worked together to address outdated lighting systems, HVAC infrastructure, and building automation systems. While working to remedy its immediate needs, the city also set out to future-proof its infrastructure with plans to integrate renewable and energy-efficient solutions.

“Our facilities get a lot of use, and many of them are decades old,” says Jose Gonzalez, current vice mayor and former mayor of Cudahy. “We needed to bring them into the present while also thinking towards the future. It is important for us to keep pace with technology, while counterbalancing rising energy costs, and factoring in unpredictable seasonal power outages.”

To address the concerns of energy supply and demand, both for present and future, Siemens presented the city with a facilities modernization vision. This incorporates several solar array panels that will be installed atop a carport at City Hall, as well as mounted onto the roofs of the community center and Public Works Department building. The arrays are projected to provide an estimated 126 kW of power. Installation of LED bulbs in the main municipal buildings and in more than 500 street and park lights will significantly reduce energy consumption and maintenance while improving visibility and safety for the community.

Leveraging available federal funds allocated by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the city is utilizing a combination of funding mechanisms to finance the necessary infrastructure improvements. In addition, Siemens Financial Services worked with the city to provide financing for the equipment and installation costs under a Performance Contracting Agreement.

 

Signify Launches Tunable White Feature in its Interact System

Interact is Signify’s scalable system for wireless controls that help make the leap to smart lighting with integrated and connected sensors. It is now the first of its kind to offer Tunable White features in a wireless deployment scenario. The new Tunable White feature will support energy savings by giving users more flexibility with creating low-cost scenes for their customers.

Users can use their current workflow with their integrated sensors, and with the updated Interact app, they will now have an option to change tunable white settings for their fixtures. This feature enables users to instantly change settings as they wish, or they can create scenes with light level and color temperature settings within their groups and zones.

The new Tunable White offering will be activated in all major Signify brands, including Philips, Lightolier, Ledalite, and Day-Brite. To learn more information, please visit the Interact website.

DOE’s Industrial Technology Validation Pilot Selects Pre-Commercial Technologies and Host Sites to Decarbonize Industry (Turntide Technologies)

  • DOE’s Industrial Technology Validation Pilot Selects Pre-Commercial Technologies and Host Sites to Decarbonize Industry
  • Validation efforts will explore the viability of emerging industrial decarbonization solutions while mitigating risks of early adoption

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced three selections for Phase II of the Industrial Technology Validation (ITV) pilot. The ITV pilot objectively assesses the performance of emerging decarbonization technologies in industrial environments with a team of DOE National Lab experts. These efforts support and accelerate the deployment of high-impact technologies that will advance decarbonization of the industrial sector, a key pillar to achieving President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

The ITV pilot works to validate innovative energy-, GHG-, water-, and waste-reducing technologies and share the results broadly to help the industrial sector understand the viability of solutions, while mitigating many of the risks associated with being the first to install an emerging technology.

In the first phase of the ITV pilot, five industrial participants were chosen to host field validation testbeds for innovative energy and water treatment technologies under real-world conditions.

Phase II of the ITV pilot adds a new cohort of technologies that:

  • Advance industrial decarbonization by reducing GHG emissions. Technologies that reduce energy use, water use, wastewater effluent, and/or waste creation were also considered.
  • Qualify as a pre- or early-commercial technology or a commercial technology applied to a new use case.
  • Have broad deployment applicability but are not yet widely used or accepted.

NAESCO Member, Turntide Technologies was among the three selected host sites and technologies:

  • Stryker Corporation (Mahwah, NJ): Stryker Corporation will serve as a host site to validate a high-efficiency switched reluctance motor from Turntide Technologies. Their new design is predicted to use significantly less energy than motors that use variable frequency drives.

Learn more about the pilot on the Industrial Technology Validation Pilot landing page.

The ITV program is administered by the DOE’s Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO). IEDO works to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions and increase industrial resource efficiency.

 

Wendel Develops Energy Performance Contract for Pocahontas County Schools

Pocahontas County Schools selected Wendel to develop an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) to encompass Pocahontas County High School, Green Bank Elementary, Marlinton Elementary, Hillsboro Elementary and Marlinton Middle School. Wendel completed a Comprehensive Energy Audit to identify potential Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) to be included in an overall facility improvement project. Services performed throughout this project include energy analysis and auditing, design services, financing assistance, construction management, and overall program management including coordination with other facility renovation projects. The project was completed in 2022 and was under budget.

The implemented energy conservation measures included:

        • Indoor Lighting
        • Gymnasium Lighting
        • Outdoor Lighting
        • HVAC Controls/Energy Management Systems
        • Sprinkler System Replacement
        • Computer Power Management
        • Energy Management Systems