Westchester Action Plan, 2008 - Westchester County Government

work well in traffic signals, parking garages, street lights and other outdoor lighting
applications. LEDs are also mercury free and don’t require special disposal.
• Solar powered lighting can be used outside and in remote locations. This not only
reduces consumption of electricity, but it eliminates the need to supply power.
Retrofitting and Renovation of Existing Structures
Perform an energy audit. The first step in
retrofitting or renovating an existing structure to
improve energy efficiency is to identify how and
where energy is being lost and to identify
methods to eliminate or reduce the loss. This can
be determined through an energy audit.
Prioritize the recommended actions and set a
timetable for implementation once the audit
is complete. In prioritizing actions, consider that
some actions may depend on others to be
effective. For example, replacing an HVAC
system with a more efficient one may make
better sense after windows are replaced, air
leaks sealed, and insulation installed. This may
then allow for the purchase of a smaller HVAC
unit that will function equally well but cost less
and consume less power.
Is an Energy Audit and a Greenhouse Gas
Inventory the same thing
Energy audit: An evaluation of a
building in order to identify the best
ways to save energy. The predicted
energy savings per improvement, and
estimated costs of each improvement,
result from the audit to help decide
which improvements to make and
when.
Greenhouse Gas Inventory: An
accounting of the amount of GHGs
emitted to or removed from the
atmosphere over a specific period of
time, typically one year.
Set up an ongoing maintenance program to ensure the efficiencies are maintained. A
high efficiency boiler will not remain so if not routinely maintained.
For households, the ENERGY STAR website
provides a simple tool ii that can provide a starting
point for a self audit. A more advanced tool iii is
provided at the Home Energy Saver Website, a
project sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE), as part of the national ENERGY
STAR Program. These tools rely on generalized
assumptions and may not address the specifics of
the building being audited. Con Edison provides a
good summary of actions to conserve energy iv
that can be used to address findings from a self
audit.
Historic structures can also be
retrofitted and made more energy
efficient. However, special care must be
taken to preserve the historical
integrity. It is best to always use a
professional to perform the energy
audit. The National Park Service
provides guidance on energy efficiency
in historic structures. i
Attachment 5: Energy
Westchester Action Plan, 2008 5-3