On Monday, July 12th, the FACCSF hosted the Energy Efficiency and Opportunities for Business event at PG&E offices in San Francisco. The conference, led by Chloe Soroquere, Principal at VeraVista Solutions, presented current innovations for implementing energy efficient solutions in business operations and real estate. In fact, the building sector is the major global greenhouse gas emitting sector; it accounted for almost 40% of U.S. emissions in 2007. In 2010, the U.S. buildings total primary energy consumption mainly came from electricity (30.00 quad. Btu), natural gas (8.00 quad. Btu) and petroleum (2.00 quad. Btu).

Stéphane N’Diaye, Sr. Manager Strategy Sustainability in Accenture, spoke about smart buildings solutions. Energy consumed by buildings keeps going up, and this growth has a cost and an impact on the environment. He suggested solutions to optimize energy consumption of equipments, for instance by implementing services utilizing open IP systems and advanced data analytics.

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Then, François-Xavier Rongère, Manager IDSM Products for Pacific Gas & Electric, explained why PG&E uses integrated demand management, how it works, and the results this strategy helped accomplished (increase in energy savings, reduction of CO2 emissions). PG&E studied customers’ behavior and found out residential electricity was mainly split between lighting, fridge, household appliances and air conditioning; This led them to develop and offer solutions and incentives to help consumers save energy. Mr. Rongere also discussed incentives available for business to implement energy reduction initiatives.

Lorain Losquadro, Sr. Project Manager Corporate Properties for IBM, described the construction of IBM’s building complex in Foster City. The office is LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. In order to be granted this certification, Lorain and her team had to ensure the building met multiple requirements, such as water efficiency (40% reduction in water use), a commitment to the environment (have a good access to nearby public transportation for instance), and a responsible selection of materials (Forest Stewardship Council certified wood products, locally/regional sourced materials, from local suppliers…)

Finally, Myles Stevens, Architect and owner of Stevens & Associates, presented among other projects the greenest urban office building currently under construction in the U.S.A: the San Francisco PUC. Some of the facilities to be installed there include photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, individualized climate and lighting controls, and a façade of the building is curved in order to get the westerly wind. These specific solutions which make the most of renewable energies will reduce operating costs by $118 M over 75 years.

The panelists presented many sustainable innovations and energy efficient solutions. It is imperative for companies to increasingly adopt sustainable energy strategies as they provide a competitive advantage and are a source of profit in the long run. These solutions might require a substantial expenditure initially, but they ultimately lead to a strong return on investment. As such current financial concerns should not stand in the way of implementing energy efficient solutions.. We cannot afford not to invest in sustainable energy solutions: it is cost efficient in the long run and the right thing to do!

Thank you to our speakers and all of the attendees.