Improving the Bottom Line with Sustainable Practices

Cutting costs with energy efficient upgrades

David Phipps
Golf Course Superintendent
Stone Creek Golf Club

Minimizing expenses and controlling

costs are important aspects for any
business today. Many sustainable
practices, like improving energy
efficiency, can reduce operating costs
and sometimes with a little research it
can be accomplished with minimal
expense. At Stone Creek Golf Club in
Oregon we were able to work with our
utility company to identify opportunities
for energy efficiency and conservation as well as funding opportunities to help with the
expenses. The project at Stone Creek Golf Club began with an electrical service call to repair a
metal halide lamp located in the equipment storage facility.

During the service call, an electrical contractor, Jack Wall of Winner Electric, suggested that we
investigate cash incentives to upgrade to high efficiency lighting equipment throughout the
facility. The first step was to contact our local power company, Portland General Electric (PGE),
to request a lighting audit. Many utility providers will provide energy audits at no cost because
in-part it helps them better manage energy use demands. Paula Conway, PGE Lead Energy
Specialist, performed an energy audit for the entire facility at Stone Creek Golf Club. The intent
of the audit was to identify and report opportunities for improved energy efficiency.

Even though Stone Creek Golf Club is less than 10 years old, the existing lighting technology was
discovered to be out of date and very inefficient. Lighting fixtures located within the pro shop,
clubhouse, cart barn, maintenance building and the superintendent’s office were evaluated.
Some of the lighting at the facility consisted of metal halide lamps and T12 fluorescent lamps.
Both of these lamps are higher wattage than T8 fluorescent lamps. T12 lamps are larger than
T8 lamps and require different ballasts / equipment.

In addition to changing the T12 lamps to T8 or T5 lamps, the utility company’s audit report
included other energy saving suggestions. Here is a summary of their suggestions:

• Change incandescent lights to fluorescent lights. Based upon 2,500 hours of operation
per year a 60 watt incandescent light costs $10.50 per year and an equivalent 13 watt
compact fluorescent light costs $2.28 per year which is a savings of $8.22 per year per
light. Likewise a 100 watt incandescent light costs $17.50 per year while an equivalent

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 23 watt compact fluorescent costs $4.03 per year which is a savings of $13.47 per year
per light.
• Ensure exit lights are LEDs.
• Install occupancy sensors in rooms used intermittently, like rest rooms, lunch rooms etc.
• Install photo cells or timers on exterior lights.
• Consider removing lights from areas that are excessively lit.
• Thermostats should be set at temperatures to coincide with occupancy; 68 degrees for
heating and 75 degrees for air conditioning in occupied areas. Use programmable
thermostats where appropriate and secure them with lock boxes.
• Install window film and check to ensure R-19 or better insulation is in place.
• Ensure regular HVAC maintenance is scheduled.
• Purchase energy efficient equipment (Energy Star Rated) when replacing appliances,
computers, water heaters, etc.
• Utilize smart power strips for chargers, adapters, etc.
• Turn computers off at night.
• Install vending machine controls which power machines down when vacant but keep
them chilled.

Due to the amount of potential lighting upgrades, PGE suggested that we contact Energy Trust
of Oregon for potential incentives and/or Business Energy Tax Credits. Energy Trust of Oregon
sent Gilbert Amestoy, energy conservation manager for EOFF Electric Supply, who completed a
lighting analysis and incentive estimate for the entire property. The estimated overall kilowatt
hour (kWh) savings was remarkable. It was determined that we were using 74,433 kWh and
after the improvements would use 35,558 kWh. That is a savings of 38,875 kWh’s or 52%. In
addition, the use of occupancy sensors would increase the savings to 56%.

The first step was to take an Figure 1

inventory of all of our existing
lighting that was eligible for
upgrade and determine the watts
per fixture (Figure 1). Once
completed, the most efficient
replacement was determined,
along with the watts per fixture
the annual operating hours, and
the installed cost (Figure 2).

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 Figure 2

The kW and kWh savings were determined based on the business hours of operation. It
became evident very quickly that we were going to qualify for incentive dollars and tax credits.
Gilbert Amestoy worked directly with our electrical contractor, Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc. and
The Oregon Department of Energy to determine the cost to install the project. They provided
the course with a turn-key proposal complete with labor, materials and an instant rebate and a
tax deduction. The following is a summary of our savings, costs, and return on investment
(ROI).

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 The project was completed in
2010 with positive results.
Once the fixtures were installed
we noticed a positive change
with the quality of light. In the
maintenance equipment
storage area where we
originally had metal halide
lamps, the lumens increased
significantly. In addition, they
turned on instantly and did not
require time to light up. Similar
changes were made within the
cart storage facility except we
installed motion detectors on
each lamp which prevented unnecessary lighting when the building was vacant.

During June 2010, the clubhouse saved 11.4% in power costs and the maintenance facility
realized 26.8% savings. The savings associated with the cart barn was 29.8% in June as well.
However, we just purchased a new fleet of EZGO golf cars which came with the new 48 VDC
Powerwise chargers and contributed to this savings as well.

This project was well worth the time to investigate our options, conduct an energy audit, and
implement the changes. Cutting costs are paramount in day to day operations. In addition,
“grabbing the low hanging fruit” was the quickest and easiest thing we could do to save money,
reduce our carbon foot print and strive to a more sustainable operation. The Energy Trust of
Oregon’s calculated that this project will offset 16 tons of CO 2 generated by fossil fuels
annually, which is equal to taking more than 3 cars off the road or planting 11 trees!