Plug creep. It's one factor making it tough for state building
managers to reduce electricity use in spite of energy-saving efforts.
When employees plug radios, space heaters and little refrigerators into
power strips, it causes energy use to creep up, said Alex Cuellar,
public information officer for the General Services Department. Taken
individually, the electricity required wouldn't be much. But with
several hundred employees doing the same thing across some 48 state
buildings, the electricity adds up, Cuellar said.
Printers, computers and other office equipment also add to
electricity use even though the department is requiring new equipment
to carry the Energy Star rating.
Among the actions the department has taken to reduce energy use
are
installing energy-efficient light bulbs, replacing inefficient boilers,
adding variable heating and air-conditioning controls and installing
automatic thermostats set to go up or down depending on the season and
the time of day. Many of the older, large buildings share electric
meters, Cuellar said, so the division is installing submeters to
measure energy use for each. Outdoor parking and building lights
automatically shut off at 10 p.m. at most buildings.
Those efforts helped reduce natural gas use in the 48 state
buildings from 490,924 therms to 430,494 therms in the last two years.
Still, electrical use increased from 28.3 million kilowatt hours to
29.4 million kilowatt hours between 2005 and 2007.
The good news: Half that electricity came from wind energy through
PNM's Blue Sky program last year, and 90 percent will come from wind
this year. The switch to wind energy is an effort to meet Gov. Bill
Richardson's mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
The governor also requires all renovated and new state agency buildings
to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED,
standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council for energy efficiency.
PNM's wind energy costs about 18 cents more per kilowatt hour than
electricity produced by the company's coal-fired plants right now,
according to Cuellar. But the GSD calculates the switch to wind reduced
carbon dioxide emissions by about 2,000 metric tons since 2005. "The
wind farm at House, N.M., requires no fuel for the generation of
electricity and thus emits no pollution or greenhouse gasses, unlike
the coal-fired plants that provide the vast majority of New Mexico's
electricity," said Cuellar.
The state Capitol's building operations are managed by the
Legislative Council Service. Paula Tackett, director of the Legislative
Council Service, said her department tries to balance energy efficiency
with the unique demands of the Capitol, such as the big increase in use
during the legislative sessions.
Exterior lighting is on timers or motion sensors. The LFC directs
rain from the concourse and west side steps into trees, shrubs, flower
beds and lawns, and is planning to add a rain catchment system, Tackett
said.
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