Summit: Turn off the light, Seattle

E-mail this article Print this article

The nonstop three-hour Energy Conservation Summit yesterday in downtown Seattle was packed with ideas on how businesses can help cut back on soaring energy costs.

Some were simple, such as turning off lights and computer monitors when not needed. Others were more complex, such as installing high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment.

But nothing will work if people aren't motivated to change their energy-wasting habits, speakers told the crowd of more than 500 downtown business people, building owners, managers and others attending the summit.

The gathering at the Sheraton Hotel was sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and other business groups and energy companies.

Incentives are important, speakers said. People will just eat them up.

"To save a certain amount of energy, we reward that effort with pizza parties," said Don Wise, senior vice president of Unico Properties, one of the biggest landlords in downtown Seattle. "And interestingly, I think our pizza bill now exceeds the savings on our energy bill."

Wise, BOMA's utility-committee chairman, was joking about the pizza bill. But the tone of the meeting was serious.

City Councilwoman Heidi Wills, chairwoman of the council's energy committee, detailed how energy rates have soared recently and may have to go up again. It's a painful process in a city that has known relatively cheap energy rates over the years, she said.

"We don't find it at all comfortable to raise rates, so we don't want to do it again," Wills said. Things may improve in October with some better energy contracts being secured by City Light, she said.

"But in the meantime, we're on our own and we're going to need to conserve, conserve, conserve."

While businesses use only about 35 percent of City Light's power supply, they are the most visible and can take the lead in energy conservation in the region, Seattle Mayor Paul Schell said.

"You are the symbol of the city," he said.

And some symbols of downtown are dimming their lights. Wise praised the historic 42-story Smith Tower for turning off its exterior lights at night, except for its navigational beacon at the top.

Other downtown businesses and landmarks also have turned off or cut back on the use of lights.

To encourage more conservation, City Light officials announced a new incentive plan offering increased financial and technical assistance to companies installing high-efficiency lighting and ventilation systems.

Voluntary conservation measures have been working well, said Gary Zarker, superintendent of Seattle City Light.

The agency has set a goal of a 10 percent reduction in energy usage citywide, matching Gov. Gary Locke's request for state and local governments.

Since City Light's conservation campaign began a few weeks ago, energy consumption has dropped about 5 percent, Zarker said.

Although many of downtown's newer buildings are already considered energy efficient, more can be done without much trouble, speakers said.

Computer monitors can be put on a "sleep mode" to automatically turn off after a certain amount of time, said David Van Holde, an energy-management analyst with City Light.

In a typically-equipped 30-story building, that can save about $12,000 a year, he said.

Even a building's security force can help out. Darlene Larson, president of Northwest Security Services, said her 300 security officers have been encouraged to turn off lights that have been left on.

Bill Kossen's phone message number is 206-464-2331. His e-mail address is bkossen@seattletimes.com.