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With increased pressure for facilities to manage and reduce energy consumption while reducing their carbon footprint, innovative solutions are becoming more prevalent. This outside-of-the-box thinking provides additional energy saving opportunities to be implemented. There are many new, innovative solutions to implement; however there is the need to weigh those innovative ideas with the costs associated with them. While some owners are looking to make modifications to reduce costs, there are owners who are looking to become green and will evaluate an expanded list of options.
Purcell Green will review and investigate innovative solutions and work with the building owner to deliver a sustainable system while reducing energy consumption and improving building quality.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES:
| Green Roof Systems |
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A green roof is a roof partially or completely covered with plants and soil, planted over a waterproof membrane. A green roof can serve multiple purposes for a building including absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, and combat heat island effect. In addition, if provided access, can become an area for building occupants to gather. Local, low maintenance vegetation is utilized to reduce maintenance issues. Green roofs can also be used as flower or vegetable gardens.
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| Biowalls (Green wall systems) |
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Biowalls are free-standing walls or walls integrated into the exterior of a building partially or completely covered with vegetation. These living walls can be active or passive systems. An active biowall is a vegetated wall integrated into a building’s air circulation system. These walls increase the capacity of air infiltration and harness nature’s cleansing power by drawing air through the root system of the wall. Microbes actively degrade the air pollutants before returning the new, fresh air back to the building’s interior. Passive biowalls do not move air into the root system to degrade pollutants. Both active and passive biowalls are able to reduce overall building temperatures, reducing energy consumption. The vegetated surface prevents the building from absorbing solar heat which increases building heat load.
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| Biomass |
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Biomass is a renewable energy source that is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, plants, waste, and alcohol fuels. Biomass is commonly known plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce heat. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burnt as fuel. Biomass is converted to usable forms of energy including methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is commonly used today as a gasoline additive.
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| Rainwater Re-Use System |
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Rainwater systems provide non-potable water suitable for landscape irrigation, flushing toilets and urinals, and process water needs. Rainwater systems have significantly fewer code requirements and are often less expensive than graywater systems. Rainwater from roofs or site can also be collected and harvested to help displace potable water demand. Rainwater collected from impervious surfaces reduces rainwater runoff and controls infrastructure requirements. Rainwater retention or detention systems can be designed with cisterns to hold rainwater runoff for non-potable usage.
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| Graywater Re-Use System |
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Potable water is used for many functions that do not require high-quality water such as toilet and urinal flushing and landscape irrigation. Rainwater and graywater systems can significantly reduce potable water demand. Graywater systems reuse the wastewater collected from sinks, showers, and others sources for the flushing of toilets, landscape irrigation, and other functions that do not require potable water.
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