New England Aquarium: Greening Efforts
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New England Aquarium: Greening Efforts
- 1. New England Aquarium Greening Efforts
Editor's Notes
- Energy is the largest part of NEAq environmental footprint—more than toxins, solid waste, etc. NEAq serves a lot of people (1.3M/yr). On a per-visitor basis our energy use is moderate On an absolute basis, NEAq—like all Aquariums—is energy intensive. We focus “Greening” Efforts to make the biggest positive difference (reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce toxic emissions and waste, reduce our operating costs) and to be fiscally responsible
- Key: Favorable weather conditions are a significant factor in reducing energy use.
- Conservation Services Group, Inc. (CSG) retrofitted three of the largest pumps with adjustable speed drives in 2002. These pumps, which run continuously, had previously been throttled back to about 80% of their design RPM, significantly reducing their efficiency. The retrofit is estimated to save 190,548 kWh each year. This equates to 85 tons of CO2 emission, or 155 barrels of oil annually. One of the most favorable features of this pump upgrade was the payment plan arranged with CSG. The $65,000 cost to the Aquarium was spread over five years and calculated as a share of the money that would be saved by reducing electricity consumption. Payments to CSG were 80% of the calculated savings for the first 2 years and 50% for the next 3 years. The upgrade had been completely repaid after five years and the Aquarium began enjoying the entire energy savings of over $20,000 per year. Arrangements such as this are likely to be the most attractive to NEAq in the future as well, since they allow major improvements to be undertaken without allocating additional funds. It is of course essential that the future cost savings are carefully analyzed and reliable, as the Aquarium will be counting on the reduced energy bill to keep its budget balanced.
- Roof Replacement The aging Aquarium roof was replaced four years ago, almost certainly reducing heating and cooling costs. The new one is fully insulated and light-colored, which greatly reduces summer cooling requirements and winter heat loss. However, this change was completed before the time frame of this analysis and energy savings were not estimated, so there is no way to quantify the results. Regardless, it is an important upgrade for the efficiency of the building. HVAC A major engineering proposal in progress for replacing the HVAC system and will likely be completed during August of this year. The study is funded, but the actual implementation will require careful financing and a search for incentives or grants. The goals of the upgrade are both to replace aging equipment with more efficient models and to improve the performance of the system, especially in public areas. The current system is unable to keep the building at the desired temperature during the hottest days. It is also hoped that the new system can use specialized circulation to prevent air around the penguins from mixing fully into the main hall.
- Replace spray valves in kitchen with low-flow spray valves (estimated savings of $2000/year in operating costs due to reduced hot water use) Install low flow faucet aerators in bathroom sinks. (estimated savings of 80% of handwashing water, sewage and heating costs) Install strip curtains in walk-in refrigerators & freezers to reduce air exchange with ambient temperature air (estimated savings of $300/year in energy costs) Install motion sensors for lights in walk-in refrigerators Benefits : In addition to estimated operating cost reductions and environmental benefits, there are clients who select venues for programs and events with “green” characteristics in mind. NEAq is likely to be among the first certified “green” event venues in Boston and could capture additional business as a result.
- Office paper recycling – we have done this well for years. John Hurley supervises this program, making sure the large bins are emptied early on Wednesday mornings. Co-mingled plastic, glass and metals – We now have a recycling system for co-mingled containers in place. Each building has a key point of contact for detailed information. Main building Chris Fernald. Milk St, Tony LaCasse. Ocean Center, KC Stover in Conservation and Cathy Wood in Education. Cardboard –Tony LaCasse operates cardboard recycling at our Milk St. offices. Otherwise, we do not currently have cardboard recycling. We are considering possibilities to start a broader program. Printer cartridges recycling - If you have small printer cartridges, please put them in free mailers (available from Cathy Wood in Education) and drop them into the mail. They will go to a company that refurbishes and reuses them. This program has been in place for several years. Cell Phone Recycling - Barbara Waller has been collecting old cell phones for a re-use and recycling program. CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and other media - These are being collected in the Conservation Dept. in the Ocean Center and sent to Alternative Community Training, Inc. (ACT). ACT is a nationally accredited, not-for-profit agency providing support and assistance to adults with disabilities.
- We have analyzed several possibilities in the past Conclusion: Reducing our energy load makes more sense environmentally, economically and politically than developing clean energy on-site. We intend to reconsider this from time to time. We do acknowledge and understand there are potential educational and PR benefits to weigh.