July 2008, Volume - Issue 11 Lighting Retrofits Upgrades Solar Energy Management Engineering Services

Summer is here and it's a dizzying time at Atlantic Energy Concepts. We have increased our staff by over 30% over the past few months, and we are experiencing very strong strategic business growth. Our Virginia Office will soon have a brand new location, and we are expanding our service area into new regions of the country.

This is good news for us, and our clients. With added staff, we can respond more quickly and thoroughly. We are also adding capabilities, which we will unveil as the next few months unfold. These capabilities will mean that our clients can look to us of more comprehensive energy management services. We hope you'll appreciate the benefits our expansion will offer you, knowing that our dedication to your needs will remain as constant as ever.

We encourage feedback from our readers about this newsletter, and any energy articles you would like to see. Please feel free to email me with ideas, thoughts and opinions. Enjoy!

It is an entirely new experience going through the Spring Street Tunnel in the City of Reading, Pennsylvania. The 225 foot long, two-lane roadway tunnel runs under many railroad tracks and has stood for almost 100 years. The tunnel has long been one of the darkest and most unattractive spots in the City. The old incandescent bulbs were dim and burned out frequently. But all this has changed thanks to collaboration between the City and several local businesses, including Atlantic Energy Concepts.

A new set of eleven Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures is now up and running. The lights are positioned at the top centerline of the tunnel and provide even, bright white light to all who pass through by car or on foot. These lights were installed by Atlantic Energy Concepts. Mayor Tom McMahon stated, “The new lights are intended to make the area safer, more attractive, and economical for our citizens and visitors.” He further added, “Perception is reality, the good appearances of our City are important and this project is a big step in tackling one of our biggest problems. The tunnel is one of our most traveled roads in the City and is also on the route of our annual national professional bike race each June.”

The Director of Public Works, Mr. Charles Jones, who oversaw the project, praised the new lights saying, “We could not keep up with replacing the old bulbs. Now with a projected LED bulb lifetime of up to 100,000 hours, we do not have to worry about this for the next ten years. In addition we expect to save about $15,000 or more in electricity and maintenance over the life of these lights. We like environmental green projects."

Vice President Brad Salamone, of AEC, is proud of the LED technology saying, “These lights are state-of-the-art. They are some of the most efficient lights on the market and we are among the first companies in the eastern part of Pennsylvania to install them. The original wattage consumed by the incandescent lights was 2100; with the new LED lights only 935 watts are being consumed… that equals significant energy dollars saved. The City of Reading was most helpful to us in providing traffic control while we were working. Tunnels, bridges, landmarks and many outdoor lighting needs can be met very effectively with this new technology. You will be seeing more of these lights in the future.”

Technical assistance was provided by William McMahon Jr. P.E. (no relation to the mayor) of ECON Opportunities, Inc of Reading, who noted, “Old light levels were almost zero in most areas of the tunnel at night when there is no ambient light. New light levels are about 5 foot-candles throughout, which will make it much safer and more attractive. When the walls are painted, the light levels will even be several times brighter.” The lights were manufactured in the U.S.A. by IntenCity Lighting of Arkansas. Â Back to Top

We are pleased to introduce you to the newest member of our staff, Mark Connolly, who has joined us in the capacity of Energy Engineer. Mark will be instrumental in expanding our energy solutions offerings, including LEED Assistance and Solar Thermal & PV, to our commercial clients.

Mark is enthusiastic about joining our team and will be dedicated to helping our non-ESCO customers understand their energy use, and how they can improve their overall energy efficiency.

Mark possesses a rich and diverse background. His experience includes consulting and engineering management for countless energy and construction projects. He is an EPA Energy Star® service provider, specializing in portfolio management and Energy Star label certification. He also has design and contracting experience in solar energy systems, and is a member of the PA DEP Solar Working Group and the Mid Atlantic Solar Energy Industry Association (MSEIA), he is also a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Certified Solar Thermal InstallerÔ and a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Certified Solar PV Installer®, as well as being a LEED Accredited Professional (AP).

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Temple University, and is a registered Professional Engineer (PE).

Mark's wife of 37 years is named Megan, and was his high school sweetheart. They have three children, Benjamin, Matthew and Bridget. In his time away from work, Mark devotes a lot of time to "green initiatives and advocacy. He enjoys gardening and nature, and is a dedicated volunteer... working to develop trials along the Schuylkill River, in Pennsylvania. Back to Top

Atlantic Energy concepts no offers our clients assistance with obtaining the benefit of an Energy Star Portfolio Manager Benchmark. This interactive online energy assessment tool can help facilities track their progress in conserving energy, looking at possible outcome scenarios for energy projects, and setting goals for carbon emissions reduction. Each facility can have their energy performance rated on a scale of 1-100, relative to similar buildings across the nation. For example: a rating of 50 indicates that the building, from an energy consumption standpoint,performs better than 50% of all similar buildings nationwide. Statistically representative models are used to compare your building against equivalent buildings from a national survey conducted by the Departments of Energy's (DOE) Information Agency.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) energy performance rating system, based on source energy, accounts for the impact of weather variations as well as changes in key physical and operating characteristics of each building. The benefit to you is that if your building's rating is 75 or greater, it may qualify for the ENERGY STAR® label. This includes free publicity on the Energy Star website, a plaque and the ability to use the Energy Star logo in marketing materials. Further recognition opportunities include

ENERGY STAR Leaders - Recognition for organization-wide improvement or top energy performance ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Recognition for outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency.

Atlantic Energy is prepared to help you set-up and manage your facilities in Portfolio Manager. We will detail strategies which address improving your rating, while helping you sustain cost reductions year after year. Commercial Buildings eligible to receive a rating, representing 5-% of US commercial floor space, are:

Banks/Financial Institutions
Courthouses
Hospitals (acute care and children's)
Hotels and Motels
K-12 Schools
Medical Offices
Residence Halls/Dormitories
Retail Stores
Supermarkets
Offices
Warehouses (refrigerated and non-refrigerated)
Wastewater Treatment Plants

To find out more, please visit our Benchmarking page. You can also contact our Benchmarking expert, Mark Connolly at (610) 916-5013. Back to Top

The latest publication in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is intended to help guide the construction of small warehouses, and aims to help them cut energy costs by 30% or more, annually.

"The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self-Storage Buildings," published by ASHRAE Engineers, instructs architects, engineers and others on building design teams how to use best design practices to create energy-saving buildings.

Written in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, The U.S. Green Building Council and the U.S. Department of Energy, the book is available for free, in electronic format at Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses. Back to Top

When I came to Atlantic Energy Concepts, it became clear that most of my favorite marketing techniques... promotions, direct mail, mass media advertising... were not going to be the most successful tools for this business. Instead, a focus on the relationships we have with clients and vendors, as well as peers, was to drive our marketing efforts.

Relationship Marketing is the concept that your organization's best avenue to success is through the relationships you build and maintain with clients, vendors and peers...but more broadly it should involve everyone with whom you come into contact, because almost everyone holds a piece of the puzzle critical to your success.

This form of marketing takes place at every level of an organization, from telephone call center staff and contractors through to the account executive and even top management. Everyone who ever has contact with a client must take responsibility for relationship marketing, since they all have an impact upon that relationship.

Often, we put a lot of time into the front end of building a new relationship, but we must never neglect the more important part of maintaining a relationship. Your best business can come in the form of referrals from satisfied clients. Keep past clients in your efforts... whether it's a yearly birthday or Christmas card, a "how are you" phone call or email, or a more formal consistent contact effort... they appreciate that you remember them, which leads to them remembering YOU!

Ongoing education is a great hook, to keep relationships alive. Whether it's through a newsletter, educational product service sheets, white papers or informative PowerPoint presentations, even webinars...giving people knowledge that makes them more successful at their jobs is of great value.

Lastly, relationship marketing puts people first. Your organization may do stellar work, but if your client contact is inconsistent, it can create a general feeling of dissatisfaction. But if you create and sustain good will, it will carry things a long way, and can even help overcome minor glitches along the way of a project! So, feel free to start a culture of relationship marketing in your organization, it's definitely worth every effort! Please feel free to email me with any thoughts or opinions. Back to Top