Club is downtown Santa Cruz’ first ‘net zero’ building

Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County has completed a comprehensive energy efficiency and building performance energy upgrade to its 50-year-old downtown Santa Cruz Clubhouse, 543 Center St.

The solar and energy optimization upgrades mean the clubhouse uses only the amount of electricity it produces onsite. It is the first net-zero electric building in downtown Santa Cruz.

The project, made possible in part by a loan from Lighthouse Bank, was completed in partnership with Mynt Systems.

The energy efficiency performance of the 20,000-square-foot downtown clubhouse was assessed and a plan was implemented to reduce the club’s energy consumption by 58 percent. Consumption was reduced through the replacement of energy efficient LED fixtures and lamps, optimization of the indoor pool pump, heating, air conditioning and energy systems. Solar panels were installed on the roof to meet the energy demand of the remaining 42 percent.

The project cost $325,755 and is estimated to save the club more than $27,000 annually. The sum of the greenhouse gas emissions from the life cycle energy efficiency savings and solar energy produced is equivalent to 2,561 tons of carbon dioxide, or emissions from 810 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled, or 5,693,063 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 17, 2017 1:00am

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