2015 Melink Corp Sustainability Report

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mental Stewardship,Walk theTalk, Integrity, Service Excellence, Innovation, Enviro
IntroOverview What We Do Economic Environmental Community2014 Sustainability Report
2015 Sustainability Report

IntroOverview What We Do Economic Environmental Community
page 3
The 2015 Melink Sustainability Report offers you a look at the heartbeat of our business. We share
data from 2014 as well as noteworthy accomplishments from early 2015.
This inaugural report will serve as a baseline for future reporting and is a tool to communicate our
sustainability efforts and performance with all our stakeholders.
We hope you find this report enjoyable! If you’re interested in touring the Melink headquarters or
would like to request Steve Melink, CEO, to speak with your organization, please call 513-965-7300
or email info@melinkcorp.com.
About This Report

page 3
Future Goals
• In 2015 we will install an extra 60 KW of ground-mounted Solar PV to
offset new electric loads from car charging stations.
• We are educating team members on proper waste management to reach
our goal of composting, reducing, reusing, or recycling 90% of our waste.
• In 2015 we will be launching our Save the Monarchs Initiative, planting
milkweed to attract monarch butterflies at our corporate headquarters
while also giving seeds to our remote employees to plant where they
live.
• Beginning in 2015, employees will be able to purchase solar components
for their personal residence at Melink’s solar supplier pricing.
• We are working toward becoming a micro-grid which will allow us to
disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously to help
mitigate grid disturbances.
• Steve Melink is currently writing a book to be released in 2015.
• Starting in April 2015, Melink has partnered with UPS to reduce climate
impact, one package at a time, by using Carbon Neutral Shipping.
• By 2019, 80% of our team members will drive hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or
electric vehicles.
9,533,972 kWh
$ $
Offset
per year
GHG
Emissions from
2,784 passenger
vehicles
all equating to
& Energy Savings of $2,720,648
thus
saving
2014 Total of Melink
Employees
Driving Clean Fuel
Vehicles
55%
24
Thousand
Gallons
o f G a s
Solar Rexnord
Project
Solar Cedarville
Project
Solar Cincinnati
Zoo Project
Solar Equity
Project
Solar Urbana
University Project
HQ Geothermal
HQ Solar
produced
9,647,143
kWh
AC energy
In 2014 Melink Renewables and
Solar Projects:
While Intelli-Hood® projects conserved:
√ We Installed 10 EV Charge Stations
2014 at a Glance

page 4
A Letter From Steve Melink, CEO
Steve Melink, CEO of Melink Corp.
Welcome to the Melink Sustainability Report. We are proud to be a pioneer and leader in clean
energy solutions for the commercial building industry. Serving as an example for our customers,
industry, and community has been the best business decision we ever made. Melink started
almost 30 years ago as an HVAC testing & balancing firm. As a direct result of this work, we
invented energy-saving kitchen hood controls. Years later we also started a solar PV project
development business. And geothermal HVAC is now our fourth business.
But our sustainability journey did not start in earnest until about 10 years ago. Inspired at a
green building conference, we decided to design/build the first LEED Gold building in Ohio for
our headquarters. Since then it has been upgraded to LEED Platinum and Net-Zero Energy (NZE)
status. We knew we could and should do more, however. So we invested in a fleet of hybrid cars
for our technicians and incentives for our office employees to buy either hybrid or electric cars.
Today, over 50% of our employees drive alternative fuel vehicles to further promote our mission
and brand.
The combined energy savings amount to over $50,000 per year. But the bigger advantage of our
journey has been the HR and PR benefits. We are now able to attract and retain more talented
employees than ever before by providing a healthier and more productive working environment.
We are also able to attract and retain larger and more successful customers since they are
increasingly selecting partners and suppliers who are aligned with their own mission and values.
And make no mistake: sustainability is becoming a corporate value that America and the whole
world is embracing.
The net result is Melink has gained a long term strategic competitive advantage. Our costs
and risks are lower, our people are more committed and productive, and our sales have grown
dramatically. And this has also allowed us to expand our customer offerings to make an even
bigger difference going forward.
As we continue growing and more employees plug into our EV charging stations, maintaining
our NZE status will require adding more renewables to our super-green headquarters over time.
Therefore, we are planning to install another 50+KW of solar PV in 2015 to offset increased
electric loads.
Success requires constant vigilance. But we are determined to exercise such vigilance and
continue serving as a leader in the clean energy revolution. We believe this will help make the
world a better place. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to visit us for a
tour!

We are headquartered in Milford, Ohio, where 68% of our employees are located. The remaining
34% are remotely located across the nation. We provide national and international energy
efficiency and renewable energy solutions to commercial and institutional building industries.
Today, we offer four products and services:
• Melink®
T&B- Provider of Commercial HVAC Testing and Balancing. Our service is National,
Certified, and Independent for restaurant, retail, and supermarket chains.
• Intelli-Hood®
- Manufacturer of Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation System. Our product is
the global industry standard for restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, schools, and hospitals.
• Melink®
Solar- Developer of Large-Scale Solar PV Projects. Our service includes financing,
installation, maintenance, and monitoring for projects across the U.S.
• Melink®
Geo- Manufacturer of geothermal HVAC pumping stations. Also includes
independent commissioning and financing services for the ground heat exchanger.
About Melink Corporation
It all started in 1987 with a
vision and a basement.
Vision: A transformative clean energy industry that improves our global
economy, security and environment for ourselves, our children and future
generations.
Mission: To save the world, one building at a time.
Values: Integrity, Service Excellence, Innovation, Education
Professional Affiliations:

NZE
NZE
NZE
GEO
1987
Steve Melink founds Melink
Corp and provides HVAC test &
balance services to restaurant
chains. First customers were
Wendy’s, Golden Corral,
Brinker, and Darden.
!=
1990
Melink invents & patents the first
variable-speed controller for kitchen
hoods, “REM-1”, and wins a U.S. DOE
grant to commercialize the technology.
Steve & team advocate for code
changes to make it legal.
2004
Steve attends his first green
building conference and is
inspired by opportunity to help
lead the green building move-
ment. Starts by leasing hybrid
cars for the National Network.
2006
Melink moves into its new LEED Gold
headquarters in Milford, Ohio and
USGBC President and Ohio Governor
attend dedication. Team starts
giving building tours and talks across
state and region.
2008
Melink starts a 3rd business in solar PV
based on interest from touring groups
seeing us as leaders in this emerging
technology. First customers were The
Mound, Cincinnati Zoo, and Urbana
University, and Cedarville University.
2011
Melink HQ becomes Net-Zero Energy
after earning LEED Platinum certifica-
tion and Energy Star 99 out of 100
points. Becomes one of greenest in
world via energy conservation,
efficiency, and renewables.
A brighter
tomorrow
2015
Melink launches its 4th business in
geothermal HVAC pumping stations,
financing, and commissioning.
Purpose is to mainstream this
super-efficient technology.
2015
Meanwhile, Melink T&B and
Intelli-Hood are industry
standards and Melink Solar a
national leader. Company
strives to grow 30% per year
and become a Best Place to
Work.
1997
Melink starts developing a National
Network of technicians and moves
from home basement to office in
Madeira, Ohio. Provides first
national, certified, and independent
T&B services.
2000
Melink leases a manufacturing
plant for its next generation
controls , “Intelli-Hood”, in Fairfax,
Ohio. First customers were
individual restaurants, schools,
hospitals, and supermarkets.
®
650
®
GEO
The Melink
Journey[ ]
page 6

Melink HVAC Test & Balance (T&B) is a national, independent, and certified service that tests and
reports on an indoor environment’s health and HVAC performance, as well as energy efficiency.
As reported by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), buildings consume 73% of the nation’s
electricity consumption and account for 38% of CO₂ emissions. The chart to the left is from
an Energy Star report to explain how restaurants can turn energy into profit. It shows that
HVAC accounts for 28% of a restaurants energy consumption. We believe it is an even higher
percentage for retail stores because they are not preparing food.
With HVAC being such a large piece of consumption, it needs to be controlled and monitored.
To assist in the monitoring of HVAC health, T&B performed 2,410 balances and found an
average of 8 punchlist items and a savings of 3 amps per
store in 2014. Further, 239 HVAC rooftop replacement
inspections were performed to verify proper performance
and installation of new HVAC equipment.
Another way this service contributes to sustainability
is the direct connection between a healthy HVAC
system and occupational health. According to the US
Environmental Protection Agency, a “sick building” is
a source of illness for its occupants with headaches,
physical irritations, and cough, all having been reported
symptoms of an unhealthy indoor environment. In 2014,
Melink T&B commissioned 6 quick serve restaurants for
LEED indoor air quality credits.
page 7
Food Preparation
HVAC
Lighting
Refrigeration
Sanitation
650
®
6
239
2,410
Test & Balance Jobs
LEED QSR Commissioning Services
HVAC Rooftop Replacement Inspections
Energy Star Representation of Avg Energy Consumption in a
Full-Service Restaurant (British Thermal Units [BTU])
28%
35%
18%
6%
13%
8 HVAC deficiencies
found per store on avg
2014

9,533,972 kWh
of conserved energy
$ Intelli-Hood®
is the first invention of the Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation (DCKV) product
category, as defined by ASHRAE. The context for this technology begins in the commercial
kitchen hood. Without DCKV, kitchen hood exhaust fans operate at 100% capacity all
day, wasting expensive energy and conditioned air, as well as increasing the generation of
greenhouse gas emissions. When Intelli-Hood®
is installed into a kitchen hood, it will read
cooking activity and adjust the exhaust fan speed according to the necessary level to rid the cook
line of smoke and high temperature.
Typical fan energy reductions range from 70-97%, while typical make-up air heating and cooling
loads reductions range from 20-30%. The return
on investment is estimated to be between 1 and 3
years. In addition, DCKV also provides better working
environments for employees, since it dramatically
reduces noise levels from the exhaust ventilation system,
while building owners enjoy the energy bill reductions.
Offset
per year
GHG
Emissions from
1,384 passenger
vehicles
and
12.8 M
pounds
of CO2in energy
costs
$2.1 M
2014
equating to
& saving

Solar photovoltaic systems are a mature technology and the cost of materials has decreased
dramatically. Solar is a clean and readily-available energy solution and, with the current incentives
and rebates, it not only saves money but also reduces reliability on non-renewable and expensive
forms of energy. Systems are easily adapted to existing sites whether roof- or ground-mounted,
or solar canopies and easy to maintain due to no moving parts, and warrantied for 25 years.
Our two solar projects from 2014 produced a total of 3,769,676 kWh of AC energy for the year
since construction completion. Our Rexnord Industries project was completed in March 2014
and the Equity Industrial Partners in July 2014. These arrays are both located in Indianapolis, IN
and amount to 6.29 megawatts of renewable solar energy.
page 9
6.29 MW
24,040 Modules
of Installed Solar
Rexnord
Industries
Equity Industrial
Partners
3,769,676
Solar AC
kWh
2014
2014 Energy Produced by Melink Solar Projects
Offset
per year
GHG
Emissions from
547 passenger
vehicles
& saving
5.7 M
pounds
of CO2
equating to

$4,164
with energy credits
$20,394
without energy
credits
page 10
Green Saves Green
Since we consider each business offering to be mission-led, we count the sales of our products
and services to be a part of our committment to a more sustainable world.
In addition, we financially benefit from operating out of a green building. Our headquarter’s
renewable technolgies-solar PV, geothermal, and wind-generated a total of 120,854 kWh in 2014.
This clean energy production powered both a high proportion of our own energy to use onsite,
as well as sent back energy to the electric grid for which we recieved credits. These credits
benefited us by way of only having to pay 20% of what we used from the grid.
Further, we invest in energy conserving technologies such as LED lights, waterless urinals, timed
lighting, Energy Star appliances, and more that save a considerable amount of energy costs. Our
water conserving technolgies such as timed faucets and waterless urinals save us cost on our
water bills, as well.
$27.6 M
20%
reduction
$60 K
2014 Cumulative Revenues, all Business Units
Confident Approximation of Savings per year
from our green investments
2014 Financial Benefit of Utility Credits

The 31,237 sq. ft Melink Home is LEED Platinum-certified and Net-Zero Energy. It is the
cumlination of curiousity in environmentally friendly technology. Seeing our building as a green
laboratory, we’re always drumming up ideas for our next experiment. We maintain a balance
of solutions that are focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation.
Here we present the performance of some of our technologies. For a comprehensive list of our
building’s green features, see Appendix A.
Melink uses 28 geothermal wells to heat and cool the building, with over 5 miles of underground
piping. The total geothermal energy for 2014 was 616,711 kWh - 78% used for heating and 21%
for cooling.
To conserve energy in the winter months, we keep our heating set-point hovering around 68
degrees and utilizing non-electric means for getting warm. We have 2 biomass heating stoves
that act as fireplaces to warm common areas. Further, Melink provides warm sweaters and
jackets to employees to layer up.
Extensive use of exterior and interior windows provide employees with natural daylight and
reduces needs for electrical light. Roughly 80% of our exterior and interior walls are composed of
windows.
Home Office
0
20,000
40,000
kWh
60,000
80,000
100,000
DecNovOctSepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJan
2014 Geothermal Energy Transfer at Melink HQ
Heating & Cooling
Geothermal
Conservation
Natural Lighting

page 12
We monitor our power usage via an electrical distribution system, which includes sub-meters
for each section of the building to allow separate monitoring of HVAC, lighting, and plug loads.
Monitoring also includes trending of key building health parameters like temperature, CO₂,
lighting levels, geothermal water temperature, and flow-rates.
Our talented engineers and developers have custom-built a monitoring software platform
named MPower. We display MPower on a monitor in our lobby that allows users to view
building loads down to the circuit level, and to empower them to find their biggest opportunities
to save energy. Easily adaptable to existing building management systems (BMS), MPower allows
users to verify reduction in loads both short and long-term and has alert functions to notify of
excursions beyond pre-set parameters. It also integrates renewable energy data to show a net
energy usage (renewable energy generation/offset minus the total load). MPower is used to help
us achieve net-zero energy status and allows us to compare production of all of our solar PV
systems on an equal footing. It adjusts for differences in system size and orientation to the sun
using the latest in sensing technology.
At Melink, we use several water conserving technologies. These include our automated sink
faucets in all bathrooms and waterless urinals in all men’s restrooms.
In 2014, our water consumption was 45% less than the national average for commercial
buildings, as calculated by Kohler’s Save Water America calculator.
Building Automation & Monitoring Software
Water Conservation
MPower allows us to
monitor our electric loads &
generation in real-time
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
US Avg = 47,298 gallons per month
LEED Baseline = 31,642 gallons per month
45,000
Melink Bill Avg = 21,500 gallons per month
50,000
Dec-14Aug-14Jun-14Apr-14Jan-14
2014 Water Consumption at Melink HQ

Cadmium Telluride
Thin Film
Crystalline (Mono, Poly)
3000
6000
9000
12000
15000
kWh
In total, we have 107 kilowatts of solar PV installed in seven different types of PV technology
all over our office building. Included in this technology are seven of our own pre-engineered 2
kW ground-mounted solar PV systems, called Ingrid®. The remaining technology is comprised
of one 25.5 kW ground-mounted solar array, and one 11.8 kW solar canopy installed on the
corporate campus. Further, we have thick concrete walls to serve as a massive solar collector and
heat sink on sunny days, allowing heat to be slowly released into the building at night when it is
cooler outside.
In 2014, we produced 107,339 kilowatt hour (kWh) of solar renewable energy. This load is either
used, stored, or credited back to the grid. At an average retail price of $.06 cents per kWh, that
amounts to a savings of $6,440 and 74 metric tons of CO2. This amount is enough to offset
annual greenhouse gas emissions from 15 passenger vehicles.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV)2014 Solar PV Energy Production at Melink HQ
2014 Performance of Different Solar Technologies
Offset
163 K
pounds
of CO2
$6,440
Saved
in 2014
15.6
Passenger Vehicles
Solar PV
equaling
Amount of energy we produced
compared to amount of
energy we consumed 70%

-5,000
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
kWh
Net Electric Consumption
Total Electric Produced by Melink Renewables
Total Electric Load
170 Energy Star
Appliances
2014 Electric Consumption at Melink HQ
2014 Estimate of Total Waste
that is recycled, reused,
or composted 77%
Although Southwestern Ohio is not known for high winds, we have chosen to expand our
campus laboratory to the sky by experimenting with a low wind turbine.
In its early months of operation, the new 60 ft wind turbine with its 21 ft blades generated over
500 kilowatt hours per month. However, our experiment in wind energy brought disappointing
results in subsequent months. In 2015, our engineers are continuing their “lab work” on our
campus, including a renewed effort to bring the wind turbine back to optimal operation.
Our renewable investments offered great return in 2014. The graph to the top left shows our net
consumption of electricity from the grid. From May to October, we earned credit from our utility
provider and were considered a “Net Generator”, sending 8,700 kWh back to the grid and had $0
electric bills. We used this credit from the summer and fall months to offset energy load in the
winter months. Our year-end total electric load to operate our building was 183,000 kWh, while
our net energy usage from the utility was only 47,096 kWh.
Wind Energy
Purchased Electricity from Utility
In recent years, our efforts of recycling and composting resulted in diverting 90% of our office
waste from the landfill and earning an Energy Star rating of 99. Achieving this is a worthy
challenge that requires regular waste disposal education. The results from a waste audit in 2015
show that our diversion rate has dropped to 77%. To once again achieve 90% of waste diversion
from landfill, the sustainability committee is providing company-wide lunch and learns on waste
management practices.
In effort to reduce energy waste in our technology and appliances, all of our appliances and
technology are Energy Star rated- refrigerators, dishwasher, coffee makers, water dispensers,
computers, monitors, etc.
Additionally, we maintain an E-Waste recyling bin and encourage our employees to bring in old
appliances and other electrical equipment.
Waste Management
600
900
1200
1500
kWh
A solar thermal system was installed for the second floor gym showers to minimize the need
for electric water heating. The system is interconnected with the geothermal loop to dump
waste heat to the heat pumps during the winter to improve efficiency. For the showers in the
manufacturing plant, a heat pump was installed to minimize the need for electric water heating
since the building has no gas service.
Solar Thermal
2014 Solar Thermal Production at Melink HQ

2014 Total of Melink Employees
Driving Hybrids and Electric Vehicles
Hybrid and Electic Vehicle Fleet
Employee Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Initiative
Traveling employees are provided with hybrid or electric vehicles. While at the home office,
individuals with electric vehicles can plug into any of our 13 charging stations. Most companies
in our industry use trucks for transportation. Choosing to use hybrids and electric vehicles
has saved us a high amount of cost in transportation, as well as substantially reduced our
environmental impact. To calculate saved cost, we use an average price per gallon of $3.50,
equating to $85,642 we didn’t have to spend on fuel.
In late 2014, Melink began to offer a $5,000 cash incentive for employees to purchase electric
vehicles or plug-in hybrids in addition to the existing incentive of $3,000 to purchase a hybrid.
As well, Melink installed an additional 10 new EV charging stations, in addition to our existing
Solar Carport, to offer complimentary charging to employees during the workday. As of March
2015, seven employees have redeemed this incentive.
We have a goal that by 2019, 80% of our employees will drive hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or electric
vehicles. This incentive, coupled with education and our values, are the means for how we will
achieve this vision.
In 2014
30 Priuses and
4 Electric Vehicles
drove
& saved
24
Thousand
Gallons
o f G a s
480 K
pounds
of CO2
55%
Transportation at Melink
in fuel
costs
$86 K
7 2 3 5 9 0 miles

“Sustainability is all
about integrity.”
-Steve Melink
Social & Educational Outreach
Community involvement is a priority for Melink employees. We feel a high sense of responsibility
for educating the world on environmental stewardship. The following are a few examples of what
we’ve done and are doing to help people learn more about the importance of energy solutions.
Our Cincinnati Zoo Solar project from 2011 (pictured to the left) came about with a purpose of
improving our local community’s green economy. We knew that the parking lot solar canopy
would be seen by millions of individuals from our community and thus increase exposure and
awareness of solar PV technology in our city.
Another instance of purposing our projects for education is the 2013 Melink Solar Cedarville
University project. Melink and TMI Electric installed an interactive educational touch-screen in
the Cedarville University Student Center, which displays the live benefits of the school’s PV array.
Our intention for this kiosk is to inspire and motivate students, faculty, and other stakeholders to
better assess the environmental and financial benefits of choosing clean energy.
Additionally, Melink regularly guides tours of our home office, pointing out our green technology
and sharing the story of our sustainable journey. A sample of groups that have visited us include:
Dunnhumby International, Procter & Gamble, Green Energy Ohio, Ohio Environmental Protection
Agency, summer camps from the YMCA, student groups from Xavier University, Net Impact
Student Organization from Miami University, and University of Cincinnati.

Melink’s leadership position for corporate environmental sustainability presents several
opportunities to share our perspective with external audiences. Since 2010, Steve Melink has
been invited to Washington, D.C. several times to discuss energy topics with Senators and
Representatives. Most recently, Steve actively lobbied in support of clean energy in Ohio during
the SB310 debate to halt Ohio’s progress in renewable energy.
Melink has participated in two mission trips with SonLight Power, a missions organization
that works to tackle a global challenge of supplying underserved communities with affordable
electricity. Melink team members worked alongside this organization to install solar in
communities in Mexico in 2012 and Panama in 2013.
Policy Advocacy
Partnership with SonLight Power

0
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Great Place
to Work
Camara-
derie
PrideFairnessRespectCredibility
2014 Best Place to Work Survey Results
goal =90%
National Presence
Workplace Perks
Melink has a corporate goal of becoming a Best Place to Work (BPTW) employer. BPTW is a
national surveyer of workplace environments. We believe that the workplace is an excellent
opportunity to contribute to a lifestyle of sustainability. Just like the value of stewardship of
our physical world’s limited resources, we believe in being good stewards of the strengths,
limitations, and work/life balance of our employees. We are taking action in our workplace to
achieve a rating of 90% in each BPTW category. In 2014, our employees awarded us Great-Rated
status, a milestone toward BPTW.
In 2014, we had a total of 76 individuals on our team, 50 of those are at our Milford Headquarters
and 26 are remote across the United States. The map to the left shows the states where our
employees are located.
A popular place at the Melink home is our onsite gym to offer a convenient place to keep up
physical health. Another enjoyable perk is our complimentary membership to the Cincinnati
Nature Center just 5 minutes from our office. During the nice months, many Melink employees
will go enjoy a run or walk on the trails during their lunch break.
Where
are we
located?
Workplace Environment
Sustainability Committee
The establishment of our internal sustainability committee was with the intention of having a
designated, voluntary group to manage and hold accountable the green practices and projects
within our company. In addition, the committee plans and executes Melink green initiatives, such
as waste audits, recycling education, and sustainability reporting.

page 3

1. Indoor Air Facts, No. 4: Sick Building Syndrome. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and
Radiation, 1991. US Environmental Protection Agency. Feb. 1991. Web. Mar. 2015.
2. “Green Building Facts.” US Green Buildings Council. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
3. “Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
4. “Putting Energy into Profit.” EPA Energy Star. Energy Star, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
5. “Water Calculators.” Save Water America. Kohler, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
6. Great Place to Work. Great Place to Work, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Report References

3. Natural Lighting
Extensive use of exterior and interior windows provide employees with
natural daylight and reduces needs for electrical light. Skylights and low-
profile workstations in the center of the building allow natural daylight to
permeate the office environment and provide an open office atmosphere.
Exterior sun shades were installed on the south windows to reduce
solar gain during the warmer months and increase solar gain during
cooler months. Mini-blinds were installed on south windows to serve as
sunscreens and light “shelves” by creating an angle that reflects sunlight
up towards the ceiling during winter afternoons when the sun is low.
4. Electric Lighting
All office, conference room and bathroom lights have automatic control
sensors to turn lights on when a room is occupied, and off when
unoccupied for a programmed amount of time. Manual controls are
also available to turn lights off, if adequate light is available for working.
Employees also have the ability to use a 13-watt task lamp, which provides
enough light without adding significant head load to the office space.
Exterior building lights are controlled by time of day, photocell, and motion
sensors, so they only illuminate when needed. Sidewalk lights are solar
powered, and exterior parking lot lights turn on an hour after dusk and turn
off an hour before dawn.
5. Building Automation
Melink monitors its power usage via an electrical distribution system, which
includes sub-meters for each section of the building to allow separate
monitoring of HVAC, lighting, and plug loads. Monitoring also includes
trending of key building health parameters like temperature, CO2, lighting
levels, geothermal water temperature and flow-rates.
Melink has developed MPower, a building monitoring system that allows
users to monitor any building loads down to the circuit level and to
empower them to find their biggest opportunities to save energy. Easily
adaptable to existing building management systems (BMS), the system
allows users to verify reduction in loads both short and long-term and has
alert functions to notify of excursions beyond pre-set parameters. It also
integrates renewable energy data to show a net energy usage (renewable
energy generation/offset minus the total load). MPower is used to help
Melink achieve their net zero energy status and allows us to compare
production of all of our solar PV systems on an equal footing. It adjusts
for differences in system size and orientation to the sun using the latest
in sensing technology. Melink also uses this tool as a public information
display to educate building visitors.
1. Building Orientation and Layout
To maximize daylight, the building faces south. This orientation provides
maximum solar heating during winter, and minimizes cooling in the
summer. The building’s restrooms, stairwells, and storage rooms are
located on the east and west ends of the building to minimize sun glare
and hot spots, also providing additional insulation. The roof over the
manufacturing plant area was reduced in height to minimize HVAC
operating costs, with ceiling fans used in the summer for convection
cooling and during the winter to reduce stratification (heat rising to the
ceiling and cool air falling to the floor).
2. Building Envelope
To help create a net-zero energy building, the building has precast
concrete walls with R-19 insulation, a roof membrane with R-30 insulation,
and high-performance exterior windows. These features all work together
to maximize solar reflection while minimizing convection losses. Metal
doors are covered with foil-backed bubble insulation and the plant’s bay
doors are sealed and insulated to minimize infiltration when opened for
shipping and receiving purposes.
Green Features
Appendix A

page 22
MPower Screen Shot, view live tracking at www.melinkcorp.com/mpower
6. Plumbing
• Restrooms - Sink faucets have infrared sensors for automatic on/
off operation and aerators to reduce water usage. Waterless urinals
in the men’s restrooms use zero water (versus 1 gallon per flush for
conventional urinals) and the toilets have dual-flush capacity. Melink
estimates its water usage is 40% less than conventional buildings of
the same size.
• Septic system - The septic system, with leach fields, promotes a self-
sustaining mentality and eliminates the need for a sewer line.
• Showers - A solar thermal system was installed for the second floor
gym showers, to minimize the need for electric water heating. The
system is interconnected with the geothermal loop to dump waste
heat to the heat pumps during the winter to improve efficiency. For
the showers in the manufacturing plant, a heat pump was installed to
minimize the need for electric water heating since the building has no
gas service.
7. Solar Energy
Solar Energy- Melink installed six different types of solar photovoltaic
(PV) systems on its roof, not only to increase its energy independence, but
also to test performance and ease of installation and maintenance for its
customers. Melink also has seven of its own pre-engineered Ingrid® 2kW
ground-mounted solar PV systems, one 25.5kW ground-mounted solar
array, and one 11.8kW solar canopy installed on the corporate campus.
The thick concrete walls of the building serve as a massive solar collector
and heat sink on sunny days, allowing heat to be slowly released into the
building at night when it is cooler outside. It also has an auxiliary electric
meter to have the capability of “spinning” backwards so on the weekends
when there is little to no electric load, power can be fed back to the grid.
8. Wind Energy
Southwestern Ohio is not known for high winds and to address this
challenge Melink installed a low-wind turbine to complement the solar PV
systems to generate power at night and when the sun is not shining.
9. Geothermal Heating & Cooling
Melink burns no fossil fuels. Instead, we use 28 geothermal wells to heat
and cool the building, with over 5 miles of underground piping. This
provides the offices with a stable temperature year-round, and variable-
speed water circulating pumps and differential pressure sensors save pump
energy during partial-load conditions with 25% minimum speed setting.
10. Purchased Electricity from Utility
Melink is employing renewable energy strategies were highly offset in terms
of electricity bills in 2013. Melink did not pay any electricity to its provider
during the months of April, May, June, July, August and September.
11. Waste Management
During construction, Melink set up a recycling system for paper, glass,
plastic, and metal, and much of the building was constructed out of recycled
materials. Melink employees currently recycle, reuse, or compost a majority
of their waste. This was one of the activities that helped reach a 99 Energy
Star rating.

page 23
12. Landscaping
The 9-acre headquarters are relatively self-sustaining and do not require
irrigation or maintenance, other than minor lawn cutting and tree pruning.
The courtyard offers paver sidewalks, gardens and wood benches, and there
are two separate patio areas with lawn furniture near a pond and river to
facilitate outdoor lunches and meetings on nice days.
13. Biomass
Wood-pellet stoves were installed in the main conference room and library
to supplement the heating system and further reduce its reliance on
electrical power from the grid.
14. Heath & Well-Being
A fitness room and green library were built on the second floor to promote
healthy living and continual education on the green movement. Eighty
percent of our building is composed of windows, making the outdoors
visible to most everyone from their workspace. All workspaces are the same
size to communicate each employee is equally valued as a team member.
Kitchens were set up to focus on employee comfort and energy efficiency.
Thermos-type coffee pots allow coffee makers to be turned off after brewing
and still keep the coffee hot for hours. A dishwasher minimizes use of
paper cups, plates and plastic utensils and saves 20% of the water normally
used when hand-washing dishes. Melink also provides washable dishes for
employees to use and compostable cups for visitors.
In addition, Melink promotes green awareness and offers incentive
programs. Employees are encouraged to bike or carpool to work, rewarded
with close-to-the building alternative vehicle and carpool parking spaces.
The company leases hybrid cars for regional supervisors, technicians, and the
leadership team, and incentives are also provided to employees to purchase
their own hybrids. Everyone is encouraged to bring in their energy bills
for the company bulletin board to display their progress in conserving the
energy they use at home.
Melink promotes continual improvement in an effort to reduce its impact
on the environment. As a result of these environmental innovations and
its focus on employees, Melink has become an innovator we hope other
companies will look to when setting their own corporate sustainability and
lifestyle goals.
15. Green Cleaing Policy
Melink uses cleaning and grounds care products and methods that
reduce adverse impacts on public health and the environment. Cleaning
methods set emphasis on the removal of indoor pollutants (including
soils, particulates, microbes, etc.) while maintaining a safe and healthy
environment for all employees and visitors. Additionally, methods
minimize the amount of product used as well as the amount of waste that
is created.
Melink also implemented a detailed indoor pest plan to remove pests
without harm to health of our indoor environment.
Melink Employees use sustainable products in everyday activities, such as
recycled cups and fairtrade products (coffee, chocolate, etc.). Whenever
possible, Melink encourages its employees to use regular coffee mugs and
cups which can be washed in a dishwasher.
16. Energy Star Applicances
All Melink appliances are Energy Star rated - microwaves, refrigerators,
dishwasher, coffee makers, water dispensers, and all computer technology.
17. E-Waste
Melink has also always been very careful about how to dispose of its
E-waste. In 2015, the company will shift to Cohen Recycling. Cohen
Recycling, located in Cincinnati, OH, shows a higher level of transparency
and privacy in terms of e-waste disposal.

2015 Melink Corp Sustainability Report

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