Efficiency reigns in Spain
A new building has made a quantum leap in energy savings following an insightful audit.
Diagonal 123 is a dramatic commercial office space built within the innovative 22@Barcelona project district. This project is in the business of transforming two hundred hectares of industrial land in Barcelona into one of the most impressive examples of urban regeneration in Europe.
The thinking behind 22@Barcelona is to create a strategic concentration of intensive knowledge-based industries in the area.
However, the creation of such a wealth of commercial spaces is also putting pressure on the owners of the buildings to make their properties stand out to would-be purchasers.
Diagonal 123, designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture, Paris, and completed in 2009, needed to make it’s mark both in terms of its architecture and its added value to potential tenants. It was decided that ensuring that the building was as energy efficient as possible would make it even more attractive, so a review of the building’s energy consumption was carried out and it was rated as ‘D’ using Spain’s technical building code (Código Técnico de la Edificación CTE).
With lighting accounting for 33% of electricity used in commercial buildings (according to the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom 2009 Update, Pub. URN 08/456), it is no surprise that after analysing the most effective way to reduce the building’s CTE rating, with minimal investment, it was decided that addressing the management of Diagonal 123’s artificial and natural light control was essential.
Energy consultancy Efentia conducted the energy audit at Diagonal 123 and recommended the installation of Lutron’s Quantum total light management system to control the 9,320m2 of office space. Quantum not only provides an opportunity for facilities managers and building owners to reduce energy consumption and operating costs, but in addition enables users to manage DALI ballasts and other high efficacy light sources and dim them down to 1% of full light output.
Quantum is also fully expandable and can control light levels and usage across multiple floors, whole buildings and entire campuses throughout corporate, industrial and public sector facilities.
Lutron’s highly successful Energi Savr Node QS modules were installed within Diagonal 123 and connected to daylight sensors throughout the 12 floors. In addition, two Lutron Quantum processors were installed on each floor, ensuring that the system can be upgraded or adapted to the requirements of the future tenants as necessary.
Following the installation of Quantum, an energy audit of the lighting has been carried out.
Diagonal 123 has moved from a rating of ‘D’ to ‘B’, thanks to the powerful control that the Lutron system provides to the building management team. This equates to an estimated saving in lighting power alone of 46%.
Not only has the Lutron Quantum system helped Diagonal 123 save energy and reduce lighting bills, it has also improved the lit working environment within the office areas thanks to the system’s continual management of artificial and natural light. Now, day or night, the lit working environment within Diagonal 123 is at optimum levels.
Saving Energy Consumption: 188.453 KWh/year
Reducing CO2 Emissions: 1 22 tonnes CO2 / year
Energy Cost Savings: €25.441 / year
Ground surface type 7: 954 M2
CO2 Emissions Reduction floor 7: 13 tonnes CO2/year
Energy Cost Savings floor 7: €2.662 / year
Ecotrucost, an independent body that provides cost and environment efficiency benefits, endorses this standpoint and has a website with a mechanism for lighting specifiers to instantly calculate their potential energy and cost savings when installing commercial property lighting solutions. It can be found at: http://www.ecotrucost.com/ep. Naturally, lighting specifiers need to be fully aware of the products and solutions that they suggest, the value of those products, how to advise their clients on the benefits of those products, the impact upon the environment, costs, and installation necessities. Within 90 seconds, this website will calculate the potential savings available. All users need is knowledge of the size of a building in square feet or metres.
At last, there is a way to make the right decision when specifying lighting solutions and make savings too. Go to: www.ecotrucost.com/ep.
A free online cost and environmental efficiency calculator is now available. Go to: www.ecotrucost.com/ep.
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