Commonwealth Management put the final touches on a $4.6 million efficiency upgrade at its 19-story Superior Court building in downtown Los Angeles this summer.
Johnson Controls designed and implemented one contract that included upgrades to the central chilled water plant, air handling units and building controls. The project is expected to reduce annual energy costs by over $95,000, representing a cost reduction of 11 percent from the 2011 electrical budget.
A second contract included upgrades to lighting technology, which could raise the overall savings to as much as 20 percent, according to Commonwealth Management.
Forty percent of U.S. energy is consumed by buildings,according to the Department of Energy. In dense urban settings, like Los Angeles, commercial buildings account for up to 75 percent of energy used and 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angles is the major tenant at the 357,000-square-foot building located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue.
