By Jace Brewer and Stephen Sutton, ACE Green-o-vation Team
ACE celebrates yet another objective met in the journey towards environmental efficiency. Previously, energy auditors visited ACE and performed a standard energy audit. The auditors recommendations were considered and since that time, contractors have been contacted, work performed, and a post audit was completed in order to measure the quality of work carried out.
R-38 insulation was applied to ACE’s attic and R-11 insulation applied to the crawl space, a vapor barrier was installed, HVAC ducts were rerouted properly, and an attic tent was added. These improvements will yield substantial savings by means of reduced energy costs to ACE in the years to come.
The results from the post audit were astonishing. It is amazing what effect a little bit of insulation can have. Before the energy improvements, the auditors found that the conditioned air inside ACE was replaced with air from outside at a rate of over once every hour. This meant that every hour, the conditioned air of ACE leaked out through cracks throughout the building. After, the work was performed; the auditors reported that this rate of air exchange had been cut in half! ACE’s air exchange rate is now down to .5, this means that conditioned air is exchanged with outside air every 2 hours. This measurement was found acceptable by our energy auditors, as exhibited by their smiles as the results were calculated.
With a weatherized office, ACE employees have been enjoying the comfort of a well insulated office space, while ACE’s CEO and CFO have been resting in the comfort of future reduced electric bills.
The ACE team will now begin its tracking of utility bills to record the savings provided by the improvements. “This isn’t something that only big companies can profit from” says CEO Grace Fricks, “the savings of having a well insulated workplace will continue far into the future, we are not only doing this for our sake, we are doing this to prove to businesses across North Georgia that becoming ‘green’ isn’t just a ploy, it’s financially viable.” With that said, check into having an energy audit performed at your place of business, and if funds are needed to finance the improvements, contact Georgia Green Loans for a loan that carries a reduced interest rate.
The ACE Green-o-vation team would like to send a special thanks to Larry Fricks, of Appalachian Consulting Group and to Sandra Cummins of Southeast Green for all their help and expertise in making ACE an example of environmental efficiency.