Agenda - Council - 01/12/1982 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I i I I I I I I ! I I ! I I I I I I TO: FROM: SUBJ: DATE: City Administrator Building Official Alternate Energy/Energy Conservation - City Hall December 31, 1981 Several weeks ago, a representative of a solar energy company provided the City with information about solar energy as an alternate energy source to conserve energy. At that time, it was clear that there was an interest in alternate energy as a conservation method. Since the initial presentation, subsequent discussions have expanded to include energy conservation in the building as it exist~ which has led to some confusion as the two are only vaguely related. Energy conservation could be as simple as turning off un- needed lightin~ while alternate energy would mean making major costly revi- sions to the system. Ail this has led to the question of whether or not it would be advisable for the City of Ramsey to have an energy audit on the City Hall. As ~ have previously stated, I don't feel the audit is justified, as I fail to see where a substantial savings can be attained. Further, I don't believe an energy audit would indicate what amount of savings could be anticipated. As previously stated, I don't see where we could save any large amounts of energ~ as the structure was built to comply with the energy code. However, I do not profess to have all the answers and there may be something I'm completely overlooking. The things I see as potential areas of savings are as follows. Some are very radical and would completely change the aesthetics of the building. For those areas, please note that less radical alternates are recommended. 1) Dr__~qq?ped Ceiling Lobby Area: This item would, in my estimation, be the largest energy saver. The high ceiling with no air movement results in stratification of some very warm air against the ceiling and upper windows. An insulated dropped ceiling would eliminate this problem, but would also destroy the aesthetics of the inverted trusses. The alternate to this would be to place some larg~ cabana fans in this area. They would not only pull the hot ceiling air down and reduce heat loss, but they would also be aesthetically.pleasing. Fans of same type should be placed in other areas of the building to circulate.~.[i.e. Fire Barn, Hose Tower). 2) Air Exchanqe - Make U~ Air: As you know, the building's heat is provided by baseboard hot water. However, to avoid stagnation, there is a large fan in the boiler room that runs constantly to