Great Forest Clients Nominated for Energy New York Awards  

Each year, the New York Energy Consumers Council (NYECC) honors organizations and/or individuals who have demonstrated exceptional qualities of vision, innovation, and leadership in strengthening the energy reliability and economic competitiveness of New York by presenting them with Energy New York Awards (ENYA). This year Great Forest was proud to have two clients nominated for this honor:

St. Albert Hall (St. John's University). A leader in the PlaNYC "University Challenge," St. John's University (STJ) is deep into a three-year plan built on an investment grade energy audit and $22 million in energy projects. This Plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2014. The conversion project, which incorporates important chemical safety and air quality measures, is estimated to save 800,000 kwh and 46,000 Therms annually. 

399 Park Avenue (Boston Properties). The team at Boston Properties at 399 Park Avenue has reduced site energy use by an impressive 16.5% since December 2008. Because the building is so large (1.697 M SF) the net greenhouse gas reduction totals 2562 MTCO2e for the same period. This is the equivalent to removing 506 passenger vehicles from the road or not consuming 6165 barrels of oil. Their Energy Star Portfolio Manager rating increased 9.7% during this time. 

Paramount Buildings Pursue LEED-EB  

Great Forest was recently awarded a contract for LEED consulting at five additional Paramount buildings in New York City, after successfully achieving LEED certified status at 900 Third Avenue.

We are now working with 712 Fifth Avenue, 745 Fifth Avenue, 31 West 52nd Street, 440 Ninth Avenue, and 220 West 42nd Street using the LEED for Existing Buildings protocol.

Great Forest Welcomes New Staff  

Aisha West has joined the Great Forest team to provide customer service and office management support in our New York City offices. Aisha is a born-and-raised New Yorker and a mother of two. Her background includes working as a PBX operator at the Hudson Hotel, as a Recreational Therapist at the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and working at the Manhattan Psychiatric/Kirby Forensic Mental Facility. She is currently pursuing a Masters at New York Theological Seminary. We're glad to have you on board, Aisha! 

Q & A: What is Demand Response? 

With the current high temperatures, buildings are demanding a lot from the grid to keep building occupants cool. By reducing energy loads during peak times, buildings can help reduce strain on the energy infrastructure - and get paid for it - with a program called demand response.  

Demand response programs exist to trim electricity demand during times of high electricity usage. By avoiding high energy loads during peak hours, the energy supply does not need to bring back up power plants on-line, which can be more polluting than the area's main power sources. 

Customers achieve these reductions by enrolling in a demand response program, for which they are compensated for how much demand they are willing to shed if necessary. Customers estimate how much electricity use can be reduced, usually through turning off elevator banks, raising temperature set points, and selectively turning off lighting during the day. More sophisticated systems may include using a generator for backup power.