The new Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute will advance technologies and implementation for Smart Buildings of the future
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – June 23, 2015 – At a groundbreaking event held today attended by hundreds of Los Angeles business leaders and students, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 and the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association announced that construction is under way on the nation’s largest Net Zero Plus™ commercial building retrofit at their Electrical Training Institute in Los Angeles County. The two organizations also announced the launch of their new Net Zero Plus initiative which has been developed to advance strategies and technologies to help buildings achieve reduced energy costs and meet new construction standards which require that all new commercial buildings be built to net zero standards by 2030.
Upon completion, the newly retrofitted 142,000 square foot Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute, is designed to be an “intelligent building of the future” and generate more energy on annual basis than it uses. The building will demonstrate the future of smart energy efficiency, microgrid system integration, energy storage solutions, building resiliency in the wake of a natural disaster or grid interruptions, and advanced lighting controls and automated building management systems. The project is being built with American-made products and by American Union tradesmen.
The energy savings from the new NZP ETI building retrofit are substantial: From an existing annual energy consumption of about one megawatt, the building will now use zero energy from the electric grid because it will utilize renewable energy and a battery storage system. Overall, energy usage has been reduced by 250,000 kWh/yr, and the building has the capacity to produce approximately one megawatt of energy per year. It will reduce lighting usage by 46%, heating and cooling by approximately 60% and it will achieve a reduction of 28.9 tons in CO2 emissions annually.
IBEW Local 11 and LA/NECA train over 4,000 apprentices and journeymen electricians each year for new jobs in all the facets of the electric industry with a goal of 50% veteran enrollment. “Our operational microgrid, battery storage system and integrated energy technologies will provide hands-on training that is unprecedented at any other electrical training center,” said Marvin Kropke, Business Manager of IBEW Local 11. “The NZP ETI will set the standard for training as a replicable model for other electrical training centers around the country.”
“The energy industry is changing so rapidly that yesterday’s electricians must become tomorrow’s Total Energy Solutions Providers in order to meet the new demands of the industry. IBEW Local 11 and LA/NECA are pioneering the NZP ETI to provide transformational training for the future electrical work force,” said James Willson, Executive Director of LA/NECA.
The NZP ETI will be a training, demonstration and testing center to help bring new energy technologies to market. “The Center for Sustainable Energy is excited to work with IBEW Local 11 and LA/NECA to test innovative technologies in a real-world setting provided by the NZP ETI while bringing new skills to the workforce,” said CSE Executive Director Len Hering, RADM, USN (ret). “Achieving California’s ZNE goals will require significant installation of advanced energy technologies, creating a huge opportunity for jobs and economic development. IBEW Local 11 and LA/NECA are ideal partners in stimulating the clean energy economy of the future.”
IBEW Local 11 and NECA/LA are also launching Net Zero Plus, a smart energy initiative that will accelerate the paradigm shift toward a clean energy economy of the future. Net Zero Plus will help architects, contractors, developers, and building owners transform the way buildings use, produce, store, and monitor energy in addition to generating energy in excess of annual demand.
Many buildings in California, specifically in greater Los Angeles, were developed prior to California state energy codes and consume far more energy than is actually needed. These buildings are also not prepared to continue operation in the wake of a natural disaster or power outage. Utilizing Net Zero Plus strategies and technologies, inefficient buildings can be retrofitted to become high-performance buildings that reduce energy consumption, are prepared for grid disruptions, and create healthier places to live and work in.
High performance buildings, both new and retrofitted, yield strong return on investment for owners through reduced operating costs, improved tenant satisfaction, and potentially generating new streams of revenue thereby giving building owners an early market advantage with their real estate assets. The partnership’s new Net Zero Plus initiative will help the building industry to:
• Improve grid reliability
• Implement total energy storage solutions
• Advance energy independence and security
• Advance total building controls
• Help to reduce environmental impacts of commercial buildings
• Provide stronger responses to natural disaster and emergency response solutions
• Lead to reduced electricity costs
• Provide comprehensive energy insight and analytics
“Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) operates the largest public power portfolio of energy efficiency programs in the nation, comprised of a broad array of energy resource acquisition and market transformation programs serving LADWP’s customers and trade ally networks. We are very keen on working with the NZP ETI to develop, test, and implement strategies that will help lead to the comprehensive adoption of energy efficient technologies by LADWP’s customers,” said David Jacot, P.E., Director of Energy Efficiency for LADWP.
Construction will be completed in Spring 2016 with a Grand Opening scheduled for April 21, 2016 to coincide with Earth Day, 2016. The investment in the retrofit is approximately $13 million. The general contractor is PDE Total Energy Solutions and the electrical contractor is O’Bryant Electric.
About The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 and Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Electrical Contractors Partnership:
Together, IBEW Local 11, which represents more than 13,000 workers, and LA/NECA, which represents more than 400 electrical contractors in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, is the second largest electrical labor union partnership of workers and contractors in the United States.
IBEW Local 11 and LA/NECA forged this partnership in developing the NZP ETI to provide world leading electrical training and have nationally recognized programs of excellence in training. Through this partnership and in cooperation with utilities and private companies, IBEW Local 11 and LA/NECAare pioneering the Net Zero Plus program to transform commercial markets by employing the newest electrical technologies and training the most skilled workforce in the United States.
For more information about IBEW Local 11, please visit: http://www.ibew11.org
For more information about LA/NECA, please visit: https://www.laneca.org
For more information about the NZP ETI, please visit: http://www.nzp-eti.com