Maintaining energy efficient buildings.

• Author: Miller, Amy
• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation has produced a number of publications based on audits of Alaska's public facilities that can serve as a roadmap for building owners and managers to dramatically reduce energy costs.

The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's 2013 report titled "Introduction to Energy Efficiency: A Guide to Managing Energy Use in Public and Commercial Facilities" states that building owners and managers could save an average of 30 percent per year by getting an energy audit and implementing energy efficiency measures. The findings were based on two large-scale audits of public facilities in Alaska, but many of the findings hold true for privately held buildings as well.

Some of the biggest drains on energy are found in the simplest places. First, in many facilities, the operations plan is not routinely revisited to ensure systems are programmed to best address the way the building is currently being used. Reprogramming start and end times for lighting systems; shutting down kitchen-area ventilation when cooking is complete; ensuring ventilation rates are calibrated to the actual number of occupants in a building; and programming thermostats to reduce demand on the heating system at night or other times when the building is unoccupied are a few simple and easy ways to recognize major savings.

Another major recommendation is simply to perform routine maintenance of building facilities. Properly tuned...