RCEA energy audit reviews/Eureka Floor Carpet One: Difference between revisions

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Introduction

Eureka Floor Carpet One (Figure 1) sells floor coverings and performs installments to homes and commercial businesses across Humboldt County, California. Carpet One experiences customer visits sporadically throughout the day, sometimes several hours or just a few minutes apart, so lights must remain on constantly during business hours. With the assistance of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RECA), Eureka Carpet One replaced it's old lighting system with new energy efficient lighting retrofits.^[1]

Before the lighting retrofits, Carpet One experimented with motion-sensing switches to save energy. Even though Carpet One was saving Kilowatt-hours, they reported replacing light bulbs more frequently. Before the installment of electronic ballasts during the lighting upgrade, Carpet One had magnetic ballasts. Each time these older magnetic ballasts stopped working, an electrician would have to be hired to fix them one at a time. By participating in the RCEA lighting upgrade, Carpet One could replace all of their ballasts at once, with the intention of saving time and money on maintenance.^[2]

Lighting Retrofits

Eureka Floor Carpet One's main purpose for performing the retrofits was because of the cost benefit-analysis from a small business stand point. Carpet One was looking for a more energy efficient lighting system and a means to replace their older, magnetic ballast lighting system which had been less cost-effective. ^[3]

Retrofits Performed by RCEA

Seventy-four retrofits were performed by the RCEA. Carpet One's older, magnetic ballasts were replaced with T12 tubular fluorescent technologies and metal halide high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. (good to have links) The magnetic ballasts were replaced with NEMA premium electronic ballasts with T8 fluorescent (but you say T12 above?). Carpet One's HID lamps (but above you say it was replace with HID) were replaced with T8 tubular fluorescent high bays and some of their incandescent lamps were replaces with CFLs, compact fluorescent lighting,which lasted longer and used less energy than their previous lighting (any idea on what the wattage is or was? good to have photo, C2). ^[4]

Retrofit Analysis

• Installed April 2007
• Total Installed Cost: $6,149.99
• Instant Rebate: $2,857.77
• Final Cost: $3,292.22

Kilowatt-hour and Carbon Dioxide Emission Savings:

Due to lack of data preceding the retrofits, energy savings from April of 2007 through April 2008 could not be accurately calculated (why only this time?  what about next year, I wouldn't say it is inaccurate, just state that you only had six months of pre-data and move on). By taking the six months preceding the retrofits and multiplying them by two, we(W4) got a less precise (remove adjectives W9) average yearly number. According to these calculations Carpet One in Figure 3, Eureka Carpet One saved little(W9, state a percent let reader decide)  money, energy, and CO₂ emissions the year after the retrofit. The second year after the retrofit, Carpet One lost money and used more energy and CO₂ emissions.(than what?  All graphs have text that is too small, A5, A1, C4, C3) (I like this graph, but present it on a one year basis) (table doesn't make sense. describe itmore.  How can you save money, but have increased energy emissions, discuss A4)

Effects of Retrofits

According to the graphical analysis of Carpet One energy consumption, Carpet One experienced a significant (W7) decline in energy use between April of 2007 and April of 2008. After April of 2008, Carpet One increased their energy use followed this trend until April of 2009, when energy use decreased once again.

Change in Habits

Eureka Floor Carpet One reported using their lights more often than when they first installed the compact fluorescent lights(any reason?). We suspect this change in energy use occurred during the month of April 2008. According to our graph of Carpet One energy consumption this increase in energy use continued for almost an entire year, finally decreasing in April of 2009.^[5]

Future Upgrades

Eureka Floor Carpet One has no more lighting available for upgrade, but has expressed interest in both solar electric and solar heating retrofits.^[6]

Customer Satisfaction

Eureka Floor Carpet One expressed satisfaction with their overall experience with the RCEA staff and contractors. One aspect of the upgrade that Carpet One would have liked to have been more informed about was the presence of more than one electrician working on their retrofits (any more detail?). Carpet One also believed that analysis took longer to complete than the expected amount of time. ^[7]

Without the proposal from the RCEA, Carpet One expected to have completed the same lighting upgrade after a period of one and a half years or longer.^[8]

Summary of Retrofits

References

Helpful Links ( good)

• Eureka Floor Carpet One website
• Pacific Gas and Electric Website
• Redwood Coast Energy Authority Website
• Compact Fluorescent Lighting
• U.S. Department of Energy Website on Solar Electric Power
• U.S. Department of Energy Website on Solar Heating
• U.S. Department fo Energy Website on High-Intensity Discharge Lighting