New Agilent Headquarters Earn Large Rebates From SVP

August 16, 2006

Renovating a 124,000 square foot building in the City of Santa Clara has really paid off for Agilent Technologiesto the tune of $110,000 in rebates from Silicon Valley Power (SVP). Formerly housing some Agilent manufacturing and offices, the new building is serving as the company's executive headquarters. Agilent is the world's premier measurement company, providing core electronic and bio-analytical measurement tools to different industries.

Not only has Agilent received valuable incentives for energy-efficient lighting, equipment and systems through SVP's new construction rebate, but it also enjoys the lowest combined utility costs in the Bay Area.

Non-residential, new construction, major renovations, and building additions that exceed Title 24 requirements by at least 10 percent are eligible for rebates. Agilent's renovation beat the requirement by as much as 19.2 percent—pushing its rebate level to 42.6 cents per kilowatt hour. The rate is multiplied by a year's worth of potential savings, which has been calculated at 258,803 kilowatt-hours.

“Agilent is the first company to take advantage of our new construction rebate program, which rewarded the company with large incentives for its efficient design,” says Carl McDonell, senior staff engineer for SVP.

Glumac, a mechanical engineering consulting firm with six offices on the West Coast, teamed with Agilent and SVP to create the building's efficient design. All but gutting the existing building, Agilent added high-performing windows and glazing, lighting, roof insulation, new energy-efficient cooling and heating systems and an atrium in the middle of the building to leverage natural lighting.

A significant portion of Agilent's rebates have resulted from the use of high- efficiency compact fluorescent lamps throughout the building, along with day lighting controls, which adjust the lighting according to how much light enters through windows, and occupancy sensors that turn off lights when no one is present in a room.

Another area generating savings is the installation of more efficient air handlers, reheating systems and carbon dioxide sensors monitoring areas with high-density occupancy. Without the sensors, says Aryn Bergman, a mechanical designer with Glumac, it would be necessary to supply enough air for a room full of people even when the room is empty.

Bergman estimates that the new Agilent executive headquarters will save about $11,000 per year on its electric bill due to mechanical improvements, another $11,000 annually from electric upgrades and $6,000 on its natural gas bill.

“In the end, it's all about saving energy,” Bergman says. “The Agilent team was open minded, but realistic, about new, innovative technologies needed to construct an efficient building, while Carl and SVP provided excellent guidance and made the process much easier with their generous rebate.”

More SVP Business News >
Community News >