GreenFitters, Inc.: Outfitting Your Office for a Greener Tomorrow

By retrofitting existing buildings, we can reduce energy consumption by up to 40%, reducing costs and carbon footprints. A typical retrofit can be as simple as replacing light bulbs, streamlining plumbing systems and recaulking windows; and can be as extensive as removing floors, ceilings and walls, cutting new windows, and reworking entire HVAC systems.

There are a few essential steps to this process, which are outlined below:

Walk-through. At this first inspection of a property, which we perform complimentary, much becomes clear: a building’s typical utility usage patterns and peak loads; a building’s population patterns; and the goals of the owner in working towards a retrofit. To save money on utility bills is our primary concern, but GREENFITTERS would not promote ideas that frustrate the desires of a building’s owners or tenants. Moreover, to save money is to go green, but to go green is not necessarily to save money: at this first meeting, we determine an owner’s goals and desires, to more effectively create a plan that fits a particular property.
Energy audit & architectural review. It is at this point that we test your property to calculate exactly your energy and water usage. Depending on the type and location of the building, we may perform an air blower test; and infrared test; a lighting evaluation; a systems analysis; and flush test; or others. Concurrently, we will also have our team of architects and structural engineers assess your building’s structural integrity and capabilities. Finally, at this point we will catalog all relevant local zoning and other laws, to ensure that all our proposals fit within local codes.
Evaluation & proposal. At this point, we will submit a proposal to you. Of course, a building owner or landlord’s input here is key: it’s important to consider whether an owner wants to save money, or to go green, or anywhere in between. Even if saving money is the primary concern, however, we still consider environmental concerns, such as LEED or EnergyStar certification. Our proposal may encompass any of the following areas:
1. Electric. The most heavily-used utility, electric systems are often decades old, which creates profound areas for potential cost savings. When looking at a building’s electrical grid, GREENFITTERS will consider appliance usage, elevators and escalators, water heating, electrical waste, and other areas.
2. Lighting. Although this is really a subset of electrical, since lighting is easily the most predominant user of electricity, it merits special focus. Aside from simply replacing filament bulbs with compact fluorescents, a measure that any owner, landlord or even tenant should already be doing, we also look at utilizing timers and occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting measures, ways of creating more natural light and other issues.
3. Heating. A building’s HVAC system is often a vast user of energy, whether it’s electric, gas, oil or a different standard. There are many ways to upgrade and streamline this system. Replacing an old boiler with a new EnergyStar model is the simplest, but aside from that, installing a green roof, installing superior insulation, repairing drafts and cracks, and other relatively simple solutions may be ideal. It’s often difficult to remodel a building’s heating system, since HVAC is typically installed into a building’s internal infrastructure, but there are ways of working around that issue.
4. Water. Replacing heavy-flow toilets with low-flow—or even flushless—models is a must, and installing more effective aerators is also a simple solution. But there are other possibilities, such as the use of eco-drains, rainwater harvesting, or solar thermal panels, that can greatly lower a building’s water consumption and its water heating bills.
5. Renewable sources. In New York City, it’s tough—and often surprisingly ineffective—to install sources of renewable energy, such as photovoltaic panels or wind turbines. (In Manhattan, due to bird migratory patterns, wind turbines often pose a threat to avian populations, as well.) But outside of the City, an even for some buildings in the City, there are reasons to consider sources of renewable energy. A building retrofit would be incomplete without renewable considerations, and thus that is a major component of our proposal.
Implementation. With contacts to licensed general contractors and subcontractors, we take an active role in the implementation of our proposals. We are happy to suggest contractors and subcontractors with whom we feel comfortable—and importantly, contractors who have worked on environmentally conscious jobs before—but we can also work with an owner’s preferred contractors. GREENFITTERS can also act as the general contractor, if it makes sense in a specific situation. Regardless, we see it as an integral part of our job to ensure that our suggestions are implemented properly and carefully, all the way through completion.
Document submission. For many buildings, becoming LEED certified is an important consideration. LEED certification is now the template used by the federal government to determine green standards moving forward, and thus the bar above which all green projects must pass. But whether a building owner is interested in LEED certification, EnergyStar certification, or simply enjoying some of the many tax incentives and grants that accompany many of our proposals—there are significant tax incentives for, among others, solar panels, green roofs, low-flow toilets—we will complete and submit all necessary paperwork. This can often create an even greater payback—in the form of tax breaks and governments grant programs—for a building owner or manager.
Future considerations. As a company interested in helping forward the cause of environmentalism, GREENFITTERS will happily sit down with a building's landlords to create a plan for green sensitivity moving forward. This can include a recycling program, solutions for pest control, tenant education and other efforts.

Whether you want to cut costs, or to go green, or anything in between, GREENFITTERS is the way to go!