Energy savings net award from state group

Thursday, June 21, 2001 • Vol 7, Issue 12

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By CLAY EALS

A home-grown "formula for success" has led to another award to the Hutch for energy conservation.

The Association of Washington Business this month honored the Center with an Environmental Excellence Award for saving an estimated 6 million kilowatts of electricity a year.

"We're delighted to be recognized," said Bob Cowan, manager of Hutch Facilities Engineering, "because our formula goes way beyond regulations for such programs, serves as a model for other campus settings and benefits the community."

The formula has three components, Cowan said:

• Energy-efficient building design.
• Proper operation and maintenance of systems.
• A continual quest for improvement.

The Hutch is among 14 Washington companies to receive awards from the association, which also honored four firms for a decade of environmental achievement. The awards were presented June 7 at a noontime conference at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers.

The state business association's award to the Hutch comes on the heels of two Seattle City Light "Power Player Awards" and selection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy as one of three case studies for a program called "Labs for the 21st Century."

In the association award nomination, Cowan noted that more than 3,000 Center researchers, staff and patients occupy more than 1 million square feet in 16 buildings on the Day Campus at South Lake Union and at Metrpolitan Park.

He said 52 percent of the square-footage is devoted to research and research support, 33 percent to office space and 15 percent to clinical patient care. Nearly 70 percent of the space has been built since 1992, with significant space under design or construction.

Sound concepts

"Through internal and external information sharing and collaboration with agencies such as Seattle City Light, Seattle Utilities and Puget Sound Energy, the facilities are state-of-the-art and incorporate sound energy concepts in their construction," he wrote. "Each year the Center invests time, money and staff to minimize its environmental impact, conserve energy and model a strong environmental ethic."

The Center, he noted, reduced energy use by 30 percent or more over a conventionally designed lab, and the savings continue to grow. Statistics show a 6 percent reduction in electricity and an 11 percent reduction in fossil fuels for the first two months of 2001 compared to 2000.

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