IMPORTANT NEWS...

State Agency Goes Green

DBPR to undergo energy saving relamping project

December 3, 2007

Tallahassee, FL—Northwood Associates, LLC, the company that owns the Northwood Center which houses the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), is beginning a $400,000 energy saving, relamping project starting next week.

Beginning December 10, nearly 300,000 square feet of office space will be retrofitted with new, more energy efficient T8 lamps, electronic ballasts and reflectors. The new system will allow each light fixture to go from four lamps to two while maintaining or improving existing light levels. In addition, the environmentally conscious project will include the installation of 400 motion sensor lighting controls, 100 ceiling sensors and power pack transformers which will be installed in large areas. The project is scheduled for completion by early February.

“We are very excited about this project and our collective efforts to reduce carbon emissions,” said Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Holly Benson. “These simple steps can conserve so much energy,and we are eager to do our part.”

Northwood Associates is undertaking the energy efficient measures as part of Governor Crist’s emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Florida state government. Governor Crist is developing a Governmental Carbon Scorecard which measures the greenhouse gas emissions throughout state government, and he is requesting that the state reduce emissions by 10 percent by 2012. The Governor has also mandated that state office spaces leased in the future be energy efficient.

“By relamping the entire Northwood Centre, we will be able to conserve tremendous amounts of energy,” said Northwood Associates spokesperson Kim Gabbard. “We remain committed to carrying out the Governor’s request for greener, more energy efficient office spaces by investigating additional energy efficient measures such as solar panels.”

Northwood Associates is projecting that the relamping conversion project will save 1,295,000 kwh of energy per year.  This is comparable to the energy consumed by 177 passenger cars driven in one year or 93, 197 gallons of gasoline. These projections are based on savings associated with the lighting only and do not account for any additional benefits in efficiency and comfort the project is expected to provide in associated air conditioning savings.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates nearly 1,000,000 of Florida’s businesses and professionals.

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