Success Stories

Toilets

Business: Ashland Flower Shop (Ashland)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

• Installed efficient electronic ballasts for fluorescent lights.
• Installed an occupancy sensor to turn lights off when room is not in use.
• Installed an ultra low flow toilet.
• Installed a new hot water heater. The new water heater significantly reduces the amount of time waiting for hot water at the faucet, and saves water.

FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $400/year (all activities).

Case Study

• Call Oregon Office of Energy, 1-800-221-8035

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Business: Breaker Point Condominiums (Cannon Beach)

Number of Employees: 3

Vignette

• Reorganized garbage pick-up areas. A single large garbage dumpster was used to replace a large number of small dumpsters spread throughout the complex. While this made garbage removal slightly less convenient for residents, it saved an impressive amount of money. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $7,600/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 175 pounds of metal/year (less metal in dumpsters overall, amortized over the expected life of the dumpsters).
• Began mailing newsletters and bills are in a single envelope, rather than separately, reducing the use of envelopes and postage.
• Put lights in recreation areas (tennis courts, pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, and common room) on a timer so that lights automatically turn off after hours. The timers can only be changed by staff.
• Installed photocells and timers on exterior lights, so that lights are only on in the evening and early morning.
• Installed "toilet dummies" (foam inserts) in the tanks of 5 toilets to reduce the volume of each flush by ½-gallon. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $50/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 13,700 gallons/year.

Case Study

None

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Business: Cannon Beach City Hall (Cannon Beach)

Number of Employees: 19

Vignette

• Eliminated blank pages between print jobs. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $23/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 39 pounds of paper (8 reams)/year.
• Converted public notices to a self-mailer (without an envelope). FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $35/year.
• Converted heat pump for City Council chambers from electric to natural gas and installed a 24-hour, 7-day thermostat. Since the chambers are used on an infrequent and inconsistent schedule, employees were also trained to be more conscientious about turning the settings down when leaving the room. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: estimated at $422/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 5,560 kWh/year (electricity) and 124 therms/year (natural gas).
• Staff check furnace filters every 2-3 months and replace with new filters if needed.
• Installed toilet "dummies" (sealed bags filled with a weight, such as rocks) in the tanks of all toilets. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $30/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 7,800 gallons/year.
• The sidewalk in front of City Hall is now swept rather than hosed. Sweeping takes no more time than hosing the sidewalk down and uses no water. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $16/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 3,120 gallons/year.
• Installed faucet aerators on all sinks, saving energy and water.

Case Study

None

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Business: Cannon Beach Elementary School (Cannon Beach)

Number of Employees: 10

Vignette

• When garbage cans are emptied, the custodian only replaces the plastic liners if they are soiled or starting to smell. Garbage can liners that have held nothing but paper and other dry wastes are not changed every day. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $90/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 25 pounds of liners/year.
• The foot pedal on a large bathroom sink was stuck in the "on" position. Fixing it cut water and sewer bills. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: as much as $1,348/year in water and sewer bills. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 345,600 gallons/year.
• Low-flow aerators were installed on restroom and classroom water faucets, saving water and the energy to heat it. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $154/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 39,600 gallons/year.
• Floats on tank toilets were adjusted to use less water per flush. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $142/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 40,500 gallons/year.
• Coils on refrigerator and milk coolers are vacuumed every 3 months to improve energy efficiency.

Case Study

None

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Business: City of Milwaukie (Milwaukie)

Number of Employees: 148

Vignette

The City of Milwaukie has four buildings: City Hall, Ledding Library, Public Security (fire and police), and the Johnson Creek Building (offices and shops).

• Reduced hot water temperature at all faucets to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $104/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 230 therms/year.
• Installed water conserving valves on all urinals in men’s restrooms. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $97/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 25,000 gallons/year.
• Purchased a unit to recondition rechargeable batteries. After multiple rechargings, most batteries lose their ability to hold a charge. Reconditioning restores the batteries so that they can be recharged and reused again. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $274/year (net). RESOURCE SAVINGS: 55 pounds/year.
• Reduced paper use across all City offices by 6% through employee education about double-sided copying and efficient printing and formatting practices. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $351/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 585 pounds of paper/year.
• Encourages reuse of filing folders, hanging files, and other office supplies.
• Installed a crank timer for lights in a storage loft. This turns the lights off after 10 to 30 minutes. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $321/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 7,400 kWh/year, plus light bulbs.
• Installed a crank timer for lights in the parking garage. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $522/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 11,000 kWh/year, plus light bulbs.
• Reduced outside night-time lighting levels by 50% to 75% at the Johnson Creek Building offices and shops. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $3,211/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 50,900 kWh/year, plus light bulbs.
• Fixed a shower drip in a locker room. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $28/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 16 therms (gas) and 4,900 gallons (water)/year.
• Fixed a leak at the truck/car wash. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $113/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 29,200 gallons/year.
• Incorporated recycled content building materials into several remodeling projects.

Case Study

• Report available on use of recycled building materials in remodeling projects. Call Metro, 503-234-3000.

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Business: Coffee Resort (Milwaukie)

Number of Employees: 4

Vignette

• Repaired a major leak in the toilet. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $1,764/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 332,000 gallons/year.
• Purchases dish soap in bulk (larger containers), thus reducing packaging waste. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $20/year.
• Washes dishes in dish pans rather than the sink. This saves water, the energy to heat it, and detergent. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $67/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 950 kWh and 6,700 gallons of water/year.
• Reduced the number of outside lights. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $225/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 2,360 kWh/year.
• Offers reusable mugs for in-store coffee consumption, as an alternative to disposables. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $175/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 178 pounds of disposable cups/year.

Case Study

None

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Business: Columbia Gorge Veterinary Clinic (Hood River)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

• Installed a ventilation system that reduces the need for air conditioning by using fresh outside air during morning and evening hours. This reduced electricity use by 25-30% and had a two-year payback.
• Upgraded lighting and lighting controls and insulated the hot water heater, reducing electricity use another 15-20%. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $225/year.
• Installed faucet aerators and a toilet tank displacement to reduce water use.
• Reconfigured margins and simplified a medical form to fit onto one page of paper.
• Reuses large envelopes and file folders.

Case Study

• Call Hood River Green Smart, 541-386-2000.

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Business: Computer Renaissance (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 4

Vignette

• Repaired a toilet leak. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $192/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 67,300 gallons/year.
• Installed faucet aerator on employee sink. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $5/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 1,750 gallons/year.
• Set unoccupied heat/cool on thermostat to 55/85 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Turn off all computers and monitors at night. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $191/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 3,475 kWh/year.

Case Study

None

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Business: Doubletree Hotels [formerly Red Lion Hotels] (Portland)

Number of Employees: unknown

Vignette

• By filtering and recycling water, the central laundry facility saves $35,900 annually in water costs and $16,000 annually in natural gas costs. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $51,900/year.
• Other comprehensive energy and water conservation measures include energy management control systems for heating, cooling, and lighting; chillers connected for more efficient operation; converting incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents; exit sign retrofits; more efficient ballasts in fluorescent fixtures; adjustable speed drives on fan motors; automatic fan controls for individual guest rooms; low-flow showerheads and faucets; and toilet tank adapters to reduce the amount of water used per flush. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: more than $200,000/year.

Case Study

• Call the City of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, 503-823-7222.

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Business: Haystack Motel (Cannon Beach)

Number of Employees: 5

Vignette

• All guests used to be provided with a complimentary newspaper every morning. Now, guests are asked at check-in if they want a daily newspaper. Approximately 21% of guests say "no." FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $759/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 2,500 pounds/year.
• Switched the motel newsletter to a format that can be mailed without an envelope. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $162/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 50 pounds of envelopes/year.
• Landscaping is watered in the early morning, when less water evaporates.
• At least every 6 months, staff make a point to vacuum all refrigerator coils, check and adjust all refrigerator temperatures, and check toilets for leaks.
• As towels wear out, they will be replaced with colored towels. Colored towels can be washed at a lower temperature, thus saving energy.
• The motel makes very few photocopies. When documents longer than one page are being copied, staff try to use a different copier that has an automatic double-sided copying feature. This copier is located at the management office (down the street) of the company that owns the motel, so no extra trips are typically required. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $13/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 21 pounds/year (about 4 reams).

Case Study

None

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Business: Melanie’s Flowers (Cannon Beach)

Number of Employees: 2

Vignette

Melanie’s Flowers is a flower and coffee shop.

• Large packing boxes that flowers arrive in are saved and sent back with the flower supply company for reuse. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 190 pounds/year.
• When coffee is served in disposable cups, staff used to automatically "double cup" all drinks. Staff switched to asking if a single or double cup was preferred. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: more than $800/year in cup costs. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 390 pounds/year.
• Uses reusable, washable coffee filters. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $125/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 50 pounds/year.
• Installed toilet "dummy" (sealed bags filled with a weight, such as rocks) in the tanks of all toilets. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $20/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 5,100 gallons/year.
• Repaired leaking window.
• Reduced size of coffee club cards.

Case Study

None

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