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Sustainability Team 1 - Proposal Draft

This version was saved 13 years, 11 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Antonia Connolly
on April 15, 2010 at 10:49:46 pm
 
  1. Opening/Introduction

 

Global Cash Access, a service provider for the gaming industry, has a Las Vegas office composed of two main building sections. Each section has one light switch that controls all the lights (fluorescent tubes) for the whole section. These lights are very rarely turned off, even though there are portions of the building unoccupied from 5 or 6 PM until roughly 7 to 9 AM on weekdays, and unoccupied through the entire weekend. Often one person working late (say, until midnight) will result in the lights for the whole side of the building being lit. There are only two areas with people working in them 24/7, and one of these (the help desk, where Richard works) already has separate light controls. The other area, the call center, is a fairly large area (occupying about 1/2 to 2/3 of that section of the building).

 

Turning off the lights for an entire side of the building is not really an option generally, because most of the time there will be at least one person who needs light. The real problem here seems to be the lack of separate light switches for small sections of the building. Of course, offices have their own light switches, but the number of people in cubicles under general lighting is much greater than the number of offices.

 

If turning off the lights is not a viable option, perhaps setting the lights on a timer is. This solution saves electricity during non-standard hours of operation while keeping the option to use the light switch open. However, it does not take into account the handful of people that work during these operational anomalies that will manually adjust the lighting. Even if the lights are on timers, people are still utilizing the inefficient source of overhead lighting during these times. In addition, the light switches are currently by the exit doors; putting times in would mean that if a timer were to go off, workers in the affected area would have to interrupt their work, get up and go to the timer, and turn them back on. Workers are likely to view this as a nuisance and may just set the timer for much longer than they actually need.

 

Alternatively, motion sensor lighting provides flexibility that timed lighting does not. Since certain areas remain unoccupied during times of the night the motion senors will not be triggered therefore providing energy and cost savings while meeting the necessary lighting requirements for those left in the building. However, the feasibility of this option would be very limited by the structure of the cubicles (full wall height); there would have to be a motion sensor for each cubicle, which would be relatively expensive to wire.

 

Infrastructure changes to the building's lighting can be time consuming and possibly cost prohibitive. There is also a potential loss of productivity during the construction phase. the feasibility of efficient and cost effective energy efficient individual or group lighting solutions may prove a viable option. the benefits are that it is quick and still saves energy. Options such as desk lamps or floor lamps to replace overhead lighting during off hours could quickly and easily change the company's energy consumption. However, due to company concerns with aesthetics this is unlikely to happen; in addition, this is likely to be an expensive option to implement, as the price for separate additional lights for each cubicle would quickly add up.

 


Introducing the Team 

 

 

            Team Member 

Background 

            Richard Wood 

Richard has the unique advantage of being an employee of Global Cash Access (GCA). Having worked there for nearly 10 years, he is familiar with the general business climate and has access to the personnel who can approve our proposal. 

           Jennifer Smith  

A former sales executive with over 14 years experience in prospecting, research, and presentations. Jennifer has also worked on several group projects and managed budgets up to $1,000,000. 

           Antonia Connolly 

Antonia Connolly is an Information Developer with a Point of Sale Software company in Las Vegas. Working in a similar 24/7 work environment, working collaboratively on a daily basis to create and maintain both internal and external documentation helps provide a certain familiarity with the subject matter. 

           Jeffrey Hajibandeh 

Jeffrey is a licensed Engineering Intern (EIT) and Civil Engineer with experience in green building design. He has worked on several development projects to optimize site plans and maximize the efficiency of design.  Additionally, he has created several proposals and post-construction reports, making him a capable member of a Sustainability Team. 

 

 

North Office Building 

 

South Office Layout

 

Recommendations

[Text]

 

Alternative Light Sources 

Understanding How They Work

Timed Automatic Switches

If turning off the lights is not a viable option, perhaps setting the lights on a timer is. This solution saves electricity during non-standard hours of operation while keeping the option to use the light switch open.

Automatic Timed Lighting only uses electrical energy during set timed sequences which turn lighting on and off at alternating times during a 24 period. Pricing is set at $18.00-$48.00.

 

Background

 

We would like to complete this project to discover if Global Cash Access can save money on their power bill, while at the same time reducing their energy consumption. This would be beneficial to the company's expenses as well as the opportunity to publicize to business associates, clients, employees and competitors their commitment to protecting the environment. At this time, much attention is paid to businesses that value the impact of their carbon footprint on the environment. A company who makes efforts to reduce their consumption of non-renewable energy is often favored and perceived as a leader.

 

We would need to understand the employee shift patterns over a twenty-four hour period. We would also need to know what parts of the building they occupy over that period. Furthermore, we would need to discover the different types of technology offered for power usage in a business environment. These would include:

 

  • Light switch options
    • Motion detectors.
    • Switches that automatic based on time of day.
  • Types of bulbs available for energy efficiency.

 

Additionally, we would want to investigate if there are any tax benefits and/or rebate benefits offered through NV Energy to make changes based on the outcome of this project.

 

Richard Wood: Richard has the unique advantage of being an employee of Global Cash Access. Having worked there for nearly 10 years, he is familiar with the general business climate and has access to the personnel who can approve or disapprove any proposals.

 

Jennifer Smith: A former sales executive with over 14 years of experience in prospecting, research, proposal and presentations. Has worked on several group projects and managed budgets up to $1,000,000.

 

Antonia Connolly: Information Developer with a Point of Sale software company in Las Vegas. Working in a similar 24/7 work environment provides a certain familiarity with the subject matter. Antonia works collaboratively every day to create and maintain both internal and external documentation.

 

Jeffrey Hajibandeh: Jeffrey is a licensed Engineering Intern (EIT) and Civil Engineer with experience in green building design. He has worked on several development projects to optimize site plans and maximize the efficiency of design. Additionally, he has created several proposals and post-construction reports, making him a capable member of a Sustainability Team.

 


 

Research Methods

 

 

Question 

Primary/Secondary  

Method 

Source 

Assignment 

What is the best way for Global Access to cut costs/consumption regarding electricity usage?  

 

Secondary 

XXXX 

 

XXXX 

How much the project would cost (this may be the most difficult part; the company will likely want some solid numbers for savings before they approve getting an estimate)?  

 

Secondary 

XXXX 

 

XXXX 

How many lights are in use under each switch?  

 

How the building is currently          wired (i.e. where the electrical sources for each light "split off"); this will help determine how much rewiring will cost?  

 

Primary 

Site Visit 

 

 

 

 

Richard 

How many lights are in each                  potential zone?  

 

Secondary 

Layout Draft 

 

Jeffrey 

How much energy does one fluorescent tube use?  

 

Primary 

Site Visit 

 

Richard 

What are the typical hours someone would be in each zone (and therefore when the lights would be off)?  

 

Primary 

Survey 

 

Richard 

What is the price per kilowatt? How many fluorescent tubes are needed to provide sufficient light during non-standard hours of operation?  

 

Secondary 

Internet Research 

 

Antonia 

Is there a more effective light source the company can use?  

Secondary 

Internet Research 

 

Jeffrey 

How many "zones" are needed (by looking at different possibilities for lighting up the areas)?  

 

Secondary 

XXXX 

 

Antonia 

9 zones total 

South Building:   

Zone 1: Upper Half of Left portion of office (18 fixtures),  Zone 2:Lower Half of Left portion of office (18 fixtures), Zone 3: Customer Support Supervisors (9 fixtures), Zone 4: Customer Support Upper Half of Left portion of office (20 fixtures), Zone 5: Customer Support Lower Half of Left portion of office (20 fixtures),  Zones 6: Guest (10 fixtures) 

 

North Building  

Zone 1: Finance and Legal (16 fixtures), Zone 2: sales relationship mgmt/ billing (24 fixtures),  Zone 3: IT administration (16 fixtures) 

 

  

How much electricity each zone uses (per kWh); determined by # of lights times wattage per light?  

Secondary 

Internet Research 

 

Antonia   

 

Answer: Each 4 tube fixture uses 6.4kWs per hour. 

South Building Zone 1  115.2 kWh 

South Building Zone 2  115.2 kWh 

South Building Zone 3   57.6 kWh 

South Building Zone 4   126 kWh 

South Building Zone 5   126 kWh 

South Building Zone 6   64 kWh 

 

North Building Zone 1   102.4 kWh 

North Building Zone 2   153.6 kWh 

North Building Zone 3   102.4 kWh 

 

  

The savings in electricity (based on the time lights would be off per zone times electricity used per zone times the electrical rate). Calculate max. and min. figures 

Secondary 

Internet Research 

 

Antonia 

Answer:  

South Building Zone 1  Each hour off saves $9.09 

South Building Zone 2  Each hour off saves $9.09 

South Building Zone 3   Each hour off saves $4.55 

South Building Zone 4   Each hour off saves $10.10 

South Building Zone 5   Each hour off saves $10.10 

South Building Zone 6   Each hour off saves $5.05 

 

North Building Zone 1   Each hour off saves $8.08 

North Building Zone 2   Each hour off saves $12.12  

North Building Zone 3   Each hour off saves $8.08 

 

 

 


 

Indentifying Project Obstacles

 

The team proposal is based on the business environment of team member Richard Wood. As such, Richard is responsible for conducting the majority of the preliminary research leaving the secondary research, analyzing, and processing of the information to the remaining team members.

 

Reporting the Findings

 

Schedule

 

Since the building has restricted access, we have to rely on Richard to do most of the research and collecting pertinent data. This will be completed during or by the end of Spring Break. The rest of the team will then work collaboratively to process and interpret the data and then to present it. Please see our chart link below.

 

Preliminary Gannt Chart

 


 

Conclusion

End the memo with a courteous message and request approval for this project. Your request should reiterate why your group is particularly qualified to do this research. Finally, be sure to leave an open avenue for communication and an offer to answer any questions the reader may have.

 

 

Sample Research Question Grid from Julie

Question  Primary/Secondary*  Method Source  Assigned 
What's the best flavor of Cadbury egg?  Primary Survey/taste test  Accounting/Sales (Angela, Kevin, Oscar) Jimmy Bob 
How are Peeps manufactured? Secondary Internet

Peeps Corporate Website

http://www.peeps.com

Cindy Lou

*Refers to research method - for the most part the questions here will be secondary research questions (the questions you have to answer in order to formulate an answer to your primary research question, i.e. What should we do?). In general your secondary questions have concrete answers and your primary question can only be answered based on your analysis of the data from your secondary questions. Okay, did I lose you all? 

 





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