Grace Cathedral
At a Glance
Industry
Religious Organization
Project Type
Commercial Energy Efficiency
Year
2014
Location
San Francisco, CA
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.