Grace Cathedral

At a Glance

Industry

Religious Organization

Project Type

Commercial Energy Efficiency

Year

2014

Location

San Francisco, CA

Value icon

Net Present Value:

$375,000

Summary

Benjamin Butterworth worked to reduce electricity charges at Grace Cathedral with lighting behavior changes, fixture replacements and bulb swaps.

Goals

Benjamin Butterworth was enlisted by Grace Cathedral to identify cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities that could help reduce annual energy expenditures and cement the organization’s commitment to sustainability.

Solutions

Working closely with Canon Sacrist Greg Sondern and Maintenance Engineer Roger Tyler, Butterworth provided a plan of attack for reducing Grace Cathedral’s $200,000 annual energy budget. Since electricity charges account for over 70 percent of Grace Cathedral’s total energy bill, his recommendations were primarily focused on lighting behavior changes, fixture replacements and bulb swaps.

Relatively minor behavior changes to reduce the hours of lighting used in the main cathedral, cafeteria and parking garage could save the organization over $13,000 per year and reduce Grace Cathedral’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by over 34 tons. Lighting fixture replacements for the main cathedral, parking garage, gift shop, cafeteria and quire altar have the potential to further reduce the organization’s annual energy expenditures by $14,000 and cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by 36 tons. Butterworth identified over $40,000 in SF Energy Watch rebates available for these fixture replacements and calculated a net present value of $123,000 for lighting fixture replacements alone.

Potential Impact

In total, the projects recommended by Butterworth could reduce Grace Cathedral’s annual energy costs by over $30,000, pay for themselves in four years and represent over $375,000 in net present value. 


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