Work Environment Design Ideas to Help Reduce the Cost of Employee Turnover, Improve Employee Health and Increase Your “Green Initiatives”

Healthy Work Environment Design Ideas Help Employers, Employees and the Environment!

Showers at work??? Creating a “lounge feeling” in the business place???

What would make the cost for such employee “luxuries” worth the investment?

Boosting employee morale, reducing turnover, encouraging healthier employees, and

making bicycling to work a feasible option…that’s why it’s worth the investment!

There are some simple changes you can do as a business owner to help make the work environment more comfortable for your employees, and in turn more profitable for you! Employee turnover and healthcare costs are huge expenses, so focusing on employee retention and health, are constantly desired goals.

What are some things you can do to create a healthy work environment for your current facility or office, or consider when acquiring a new space??? Here’s a list of a few easy, or relatively easy changes:

work environment design ideas - lighting & cheerful paint Image Source: APPRO Development, Inc.

Lighting – “A dreary office lacking light and color can cause depression and a lack of motivation. Brighten up the space with a soothing paint job, green plants, and tasteful artwork. If it is not possible to fix up the environment (i.e. a warehouse or factory), make sure you offer adequate breaks and a break room where employees can relax, eat, and rest.” (As noted on WikiHow’s website article, “How to Improve Employee Morale”.)

As simple as it may be, a fresh coat of cheery paint or changing the type of bulbs you currently use can have a HUGE impact on your employees’ comfort and productivity! “The quality of lighting in a workplace can have a significant effect on productivity. With adequate lighting workers can produce more products with fewer mistakes, which can lead to a 10-50 % increase in productivity. Good lighting can decrease errors by 30-60% as well as decrease eye-strain and the headaches, nausea, and neck pain which often accompany eyestrain. Adequate lighting allows workers to concentrate better on their work which increases productivity.” (As noted in “Lighting in the Workplace”.)

Work Environment Design Ideas - Showers at work Image Source: Sunflower Cottage

Shower facilities – The CDC encourages employers to get on board with healthy work environments by encouraging physical activity! “Worksite campus design encourages incorporating physical activity into daily routines. Encouraging employee physical activity on-site can include building safe walking trails or paths on the company campus, installing showers for joggers and exercisers, and installing gyms with aerobic and weight training equipment…”

Keep it simple & let your employees provide their own towels & soap. All you have to do is provide a clean shower with warm water and lockers for your employees to keep their own supplies in!

work environment design ideas - water bottle refill stationWater bottle refill station – Here’s another quick improvement to your workplace – install a water bottle refill station and you will obtain several benefits!

  • Increase water consumption to improve employees’ alertness, concentration, performance AND safety! Learn more at http://www.naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2012/06/Hydration-at-Work.pdf
  • Reduce waste – refillable/reusable bottles are better for the environment
  • $ saved – less trash = less waste management fees

Idea: Occasionally provide lemons or limes for your employees to add to their water – an easy way to treat your employees and show that you care!

Click HERE to see an example of the water bottle refill stations for both indoors and out.

Bike Racks – Another bonus to installing showers is that it encourages employees to ride their bike to work, which along with the obvious health benefits, reduces auto-emissions and the amount of traffic in your parking lots. Help keep your employees’ bikes safe while they work by providing a “bike commuters’ station” – a well designed rack is all you really need, but going an extra step to put in a concrete pad and adequate lighting would look nice, or go all out and install a canopy over the bike racks to protect the bikes from sun damage or rain.

Work Environment Design Ideas - Winter Biking is Possible! Image Source: Green Streets Initiative
In the WINTER??? Yep, read how: http://gogreenstreets.org/blog/bicycle-commuting-winter-its-not-difficult-it-seems

A great resource for understanding why and how employee health is so important is, “Healthy Workforce 2010 and Beyond… An essential health promotion sourcebook for both large and small employers” written by Partnership for Prevention and the Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits Division – U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where they state:

“…organizations need to view employee health as a productivity strategy rather than as an exercise in health care cost management. Over the past decade, the emerging discipline of Health and Productivity Management (HPM) has shown that health and productivity are ‘inextricably linked’ and that a healthy workforce leads to a healthy bottom line.”

Take a look around your office or workplace; if you have one employee or one thousand, it’s up to you to decide if a small expense upfront is worth years of money saved. We are here to help you make the improvements needed to improve your workplace and to help conserve your bottom line. Please contact us to discuss making your workplace one that helps to retain employees and benefits you!

Solar Energy – A Good Idea?

Solar Energy – The Pros and Cons of Alternate Materials in Commercial Construction

Image Source: Wikimedia, 2014 – Solar Panel Installation

A Solar Energy incentive program (Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program) for both residential and commercial buildings recently came to our attention. Upon being asked our opinion of the program, a lively discussion ensued in the offices of APPRO and CERRON surrounding the use of environmentally friendly materials and sustainable energy resources.

APPRO & CERRON both work diligently to provide the best product at the best price for each of our customers – whether building new or remodeling existing. We work a lot in our neighborhood here in the Airlake Industrial Park which is comprised of many small businesses focused on the industrial and manufacturing industries.

Over the past few years, APPRO has brought forward energy efficient design ideas and alternate material types and equipment that enhance energy savings in response to public sentiment for more environmentally friendly buildings. We have found the LEED certification process cumbersome and not as cost effective as we may be lead to believe initially. We have strived to find a balance between energy savings that provide payback to you as a building owner and ways that reduce the initial start-up costs of construction.

In our experience, as we competitively bid out new projects, we have found that some “green” or LEED certified materials make a lot of sense to incorporate in to a project to cut costs (e.g. insulation). While the use of other materials might only make sense to fulfill a PR objective or to enhance marketability, the incorporation of those materials may not make sense from a business perspective.

As a Minnesota based design-build general contractor, APPRO is aware of the solar incentives available and are more than happy to discuss the pros and cons of working this into your next building project. We create property solutions for you and with you – how may we help you today?

Secrets, secrets are no fun… Changes to LEED v4

Changes to LEED v4 – APPRO Architect Casie Radford Discusses Recent LEED Activity

 

LEEDBuilding-APPRO Development discussion of recent LEED v4 changes LEED Building. Source: Oregon-DOT (Flickr)

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has been the primary program for certifying the sustainability and “greenness” of buildings for the past 15 years. Now LEED v4 has come out and the focus on the building industry has been expanded to include the manufacturing industry, particularly as it relates to materials and resources. The focus and responsibility is not off the building and construction industry, but will trickle down the line to understand more clearly where and how materials (and the raw materials involved) are manufactured and with what they are manufactured. Sustainability reporting is no longer the exclusive responsibility of the building industry.

Manufacturers and materials suppliers will now have stronger motivation to complete life cycle assessments (LCA) or they could see a decline in demand, as the use of their products for more than just one LEED credit won’t be allowed. Best to take care of LCAs, EPDs, and HPDs (mentioned later), before the requirement goes into full effect and LCAs may be harder to complete in a timely or cost effective manner. Don’t worry though, projects can file under the previous version of LEED up until 2015.

One interesting factoid about the revised credits are that one LEED point can be obtained if a manufacturer of a building product discloses information related to environmental and health impacts – even if it is not environmentally friendly or healthy. I understand the importance of honesty here and also that “transparency drives improvement for business”, but what about the point of LEED in the first place. Isn’t there another way to promote safe materials? Why should a product be rewarded by being honest if not an otherwise LEED credit acceptable material?

Utilizing LCA as a tool to assess products is an important tool for evaluating the true energy and environmental impacts a product has. A new tool created for product assessment is the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) which is a third-party verified LCA. This tool will enable a product to achieve additional points if the impacts to the environment are below industry averages. This goes to show that a peer review is never undervalued. Similar to the transparency point, you can still get one LEED point for just having an EPD.

Supply chain information, for certified wood for example, is often viewed as highly confidential. To achieve a credit for the responsible sourcing of all raw materials; however, manufacturers are required to report extraction locations and supplier commitments for 90% of a product’s raw materials. The aim for LEED is to reward those who already openly disclose and communicate with suppliers to avoid future issues.

LEED v4 will also address hazardous materials by requiring companies to declare every ingredient more than 0.1% (by weight). For declaration alone one LEED point can be achieved, while another point can be had by proving they are dodging hazardous materials as determined by the government. The Health Product Declaration (HPD) has been created as a format for reporting a product’s ingredients.

Have concerns about commercial or industrial building materials or manufacturers; or, want to know more about how LEED has an impact on your next building project? Contact the APPRO Design and Architecture team for more information HERE.

Why Do We Measure Air Conditioner Capacity in Tons?

, via Wikimedia Commons

Like modern air conditioning, the expression has a cold-climate origin

Originally posted on May 29 2013 by Allison A. Bailes III, PhD, GBA Advisor on the Green Building Adviser Website at: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/why-do-we-measure-air-conditioner-capacity-tons

When we talk about “tons” of air conditioner capacity, the expression refers to the weight of a quantity of ice that would provide the equivalent amount of cooling. Before modern air conditioning, buildings were cooled with ice harvested from frozen lakes.

A few years ago, a HERS rater student in a class I taught told a funny story. He was an HVAC contractor and said he was installing a new air conditioner for an elderly woman. As he was explaining things to her, he mentioned that they would be installing a 4-ton unit. “Oh, my,” she said. “How are you going to get something so big into my back yard?”

The confusion here is completely natural. HVAC and home energy pros find this story funny because when you say an air conditioner is 4 tons, we know we’re not talking about the weight of the equipment. It’s a number that tells how much heat the air conditioner can remove from the house in an hour. (Fro now, let’s ignore the issues of nominal vs. actual capacity and AHRI derating.) A 4-ton air conditioner is one that can remove 48,000 BTUs of heat per hour from the house. (A BTU is a British Thermal Unit, approximately the amount of heat you get from burning one kitchen match all the way down.) For most people, though, 4 tons means 8,000 pounds.

It’s cold enough to start harvesting, so get out your ice saw

Most pros also know how such a common term as “ton” has turned into a bit of HVAC jargon. Before Willis Carrier invented the modern air conditioner, people used to cool buildings in the summertime with ice harvested from rivers and lakes in the wintertime. A Green Homes America article quotes ice production figures from a 19th-century journal, Ice and Refrigeration, indicating that the 1890 crop from the Hudson River was about 4 million tons.

OK, so people used to cool and refrigerate with ice. How does that equate to air conditioning capacity in BTUs per hour, you ask? Well, let’s get quantitative and find out.

The latent heat of fusion

When ice is below freezing and it absorbs heat, its temperature increases. When ice is at its melting point, 32°F, and it absorbs heat, its temperature doesn’t change. Instead, it melts. If you’ve had a physics or chemistry class, you may recall that the amount of heat needed to melt ice is called the latent heat of fusion. In Imperial units, that number is 143 BTUs per pound.

That’s actually a lot of heat to pump into a pound frozen water. Once the ice is melted into liquid water, it takes only 1 BTU per pound to raise the temperature 1 degree. So if you’ve got a pound of ice at 32°F, you put 143 BTUs into it to melt it completely. Then it takes only 180 more BTUs to raise the temperature of that pound of water from 32°F to 212°F, the boiling point.

Anyway, getting back to our main discussion: if you have a ton of ice, it takes (143 BTU/lb) x (2000 lbs) = 286,000 BTUs to melt it completely. You could do that in one hour or 10 hours or a year, depending on how quickly you pump heat into it. Somewhere along the line, though, someone decided to use 1 day — 24 hours — as the standard time reference here. If the ice melts uniformly over the 24 hours, it absorbs heat at the rate of 286,000 / 24 hrs = 11,917 BTU/hr.

Rounding that number up makes it a nice, round 12,000 BTU/hr. In air conditioning jargon, then, a ton of AC capacity is equal to 12,000 BTU/hr. There it is.

We’ve been talking about “tons of cooling” for a century

If you’re wondering how this term got institutionalized, it was probably the usual way. People in the industry start using it, and then the professional organizations make it official.

An architecture website has a quote from 1912 that claims the American Society of Mechanical Engineers standardized it. It sounds likely, but their numbers don’t work out, so I’m gonna go with Honest Abe (see image below) on this one and remain skeptical (until someone in the comments shows me what’s wrong with my thinking anyway).

For the fearless: If you want to read some funny HVAC banter on this topic, check out this thread in the HVAC-Talk forum. And if you figure out what “heat of zaporization” is, let me know!

Allison Bailes of Decatur, Georgia, is a speaker, writer, energy consultant, RESNET-certified trainer, and the author of the Energy Vanguard Blog. You can follow him on Twitter at @EnergyVanguard.

Thinking about making a change to your building’s HVAC system? For more than 25 years, APPRO Development has been working as a general contractor with building owners in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. Let us know how we can help you with your current building needs by contacting us here.

Reducing Your Renovation Costs by Thinking Green

 

Save money during renovation and constructionReducing Your Renovation Costs by Thinking Green – Economical, Green Solutions for Renovations & Commercial Building Projects in South Metro Minnesota and North Dakota is offered by APPRO Development, Inc. & CERRON Commercial Properties.

Being “thrifty”, “cost conscious” and “green” is something we’ve hopefully all learned to do over the past few years of economic change. The positive impacts of implementing good business practices, is good for both your bottom line and the environment, a double bonus! Instead of hastily throwing something away, find a way to re-purpose the item to save you money and help prevent our landfills from over flowing, something we all benefit from.

 

During renovations or commercial building project, there are potentially ways to donate or sell items that you no longer need. Countertops, office equipment and other items could become a tax write off* or benefit someone else. If you have customized or industrial equipment you no longer use, it could be listed for sale, potentially offering you more cash for your project!

 

If you’ve decided to build or remodel a space that you own, lease, or are new property you are searching for, we are happy to help you find an economical solution by possibly re-using items and finding cost conscious options. For example, let’s say you want to open a restaurant; there may be options for purchasing used kitchen equipment vs. buying everything new. In remodeling, you may be able to reuse countertops. Take a moment to look at what you have as a way of saving $ during your project! Additional financial information for your project is available on our website for cost segregation, 1031 tax deferred exchange and finance resources.

 

Remodeling or building, in an office space, bank, hotel, restaurant, warehouse, industrial, or other commercial buildings, whatever your needs are, we work with our vendors and subcontractors to ensure that we are providing our clients with the best pricing available, while providing green alternatives. Here is an example;

 

Recently, we had a project that we tested lighting in and opted to remove as it didn’t serve the needed purpose. Instead of being frustrated with the failed test and throwing out the lights, we stopped and asked, “Is there someone who could benefit from these materials instead of throwing them away?” A short internet search led us to the MN Association of Community Theatres, where we found four theaters in the south metro, who are now the elated recipients of new lighting. It has brought us joy knowing that we have been able to provide our community theater, Lakeville Area Arts Center, along with the Northfield Arts Guild, Mankato Mosaic Theatre Company and New Ulm Actors Community Theatre with much needed lighting.

 

The next time you are considering a remodel, expansion / addition or new building, know that there are options out there to be as economical & green as possible! We’re here to assist you in using your dollars as best as possible to ensure the success of YOUR business. Please contact us to discuss your options at 952-469-2171 (APPRO Development, Inc.) or 952-469-9444 (CERRON Commercial Properties).

 

 

*As with all financial matters, please consult your tax and/or financial advisor for advice/impacts regarding your specific situation.

Architecture Adventure in Two Rivers, WI

View from the stairs.

Our weekend started with a pleasant, almost fall-like, drive from Saint Paul to Two Rivers, Wisconsin. We had a wedding to attend in this quaint town. The drive took about five hours and was smooth sailing with little road construction (at this time). The trees had started turning and there was an abundance of nice Wisconsin farms alongside the road. We arrived in Two Rivers and checked into our hotel on the Lake Michigan waterfront. The hotel wasn’t great, but the location was. We were within walking distance of the historic downtown and only about 5 minutes from the wedding location.

The wedding was held at the Bernard Schwartz House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This example of his Usonian style houses was completed in 1940 and Wright referred to the house as “Still Bend.” The horizontal lines were prominent throughout the brick, wood and concrete home, and the built-in desks and furniture, decorative wood detailing at the windows and lights screamed Frank Lloyd Wright. We were able to experience the house during the day and at night and though, in my opinion the house wasn’t cozy, it did have some fine details and was a respectable house designed by an infamous (though respected) architect. Its concrete floors were a nice touch, especially with it being a historic home (before concrete was really discovered as a flooring type for a living space). The second floor was about 95 percent wood, — floors, walls, doors, railing, etc. Artificial lighting inside was minimal, but during the day, sunshine came in through the many windows. Each room upstairs also has access to an exterior deck and walls of glass mixed in with the wood. It was a great quiet location for a small, casual wedding with a nice green yard, stairs to the adjacent river and cranes sending their call throughout the day.

Between the wedding ceremony and reception, a few of us headed into town to grab some ice cream at the Washington House Museum and Visitor’s Center. They had 16 flavors to choose from and we received a warm welcome when we walked in. Two Rivers (we learned) is after all home of the Ice Cream Sundae! The wedding was held the same day as Two Rivers’ Ethnic Festival with food, music, crafts and gifts. Though we didn’t have time to visit the festival, it seemed to be a big to-do, shutting down the main street through town and requiring a detour around downtown. It not being a very “ethnic” town, residents enjoy the festival, but also poke a bit of fun at it. Other highlights during our short stay were a visit to the Hamilton Wood Type Museum where they have 1.5 million pieces of wood type and still produce various pieces of the type made from Rock Maple. Both the Museum Director and Assistant Director were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and eager to show us what their museum has to offer. The museum had various machines and pieces of equipment, working seminars and classes, souvenirs, artist’s prints, furniture and more. I highly recommend a visit to this museum. Our trip wasn’t complete without having breakfast (two days in a row) at one of the only breakfast places in town, the M&M Lunch and Catering Restaurant. This was a great place to go for breakfast on the cheap. Their pancakes were huge, though the booths a bit small; it was also within walking distance from our hotel.

Overall, Two Rivers was a really cute, albeit historically industrial, town on two rivers at the Lake Michigan coast. People were friendly, attitudes were laid back, and the town had a quite a bit of history to go along with its historic factory buildings and downtown.

Sustainable Commercial Development

Last night, I was watching an interesting program on Minnesota Public Television (TPT) called “Shaping the Urban Environment.” During the show they talked about the challenges and decisions communities are faced with when developing land in an area that has scarce and delicate natural resources. They began by explaining how commercial construction and even residential development of the past generations did not focus on their impact on the local environment, particularly. This piece just reinforced how important it is for development companies to make sure they are integrating green construction options for a sustainable future. This the best way for the commercial construction industry to make sure they are a focus on environmental sustainability. APPRO Development is committed to sustainable construction services and has been for 25 years.

Below is the link if you want to watch the whole program:

http://www.tpt.org/?a=programs&id=19807

Think Green – Benefits of going paperless

I know we’re all somewhat de-sensitized to the words “environmentally friendly” and “go-green” as companies abuse the terms as marketing approaches, such as labeling something “low fat” when it’s so high in sugar the full fat version would probably be healthier! ANYHOW… We, at APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties, feel that we live on a pretty cool planet and would like to do our part where we can to take care of our neighborhood. In doing so, we are also finding ways for us all to save a bit of “green”, dollars that is!

We’ve made the switch over the past few months to create our subcontract agreements, change and purchase orders, and other documents using Adobe software so that we are able to send them via e-mail. The benefits in doing so are:

Quicker turn around time = more efficiency on the job site and increased workflow, this benefits the Owner of our projects tremendously by getting the projects started on time and keeping them on time!

Better communication = less chance for confusion and increased accuracy. Whether the job is here in Minnesota or on the plains of North Dakota or Montana, if there’s wireless coverage the subcontractor can view contracts or change orders in their e-mail inbox vs. needing to “check back at the office”. Any changes to the contract can be easily communicated with the Project Owner for review as well.

More $ in everyone’s pockets!!! By opting for electronic contracts, we are able to reduce the amount of supplies used, including: printer ink, paper, envelopes and stamps, the savings passed on to the Project Owner as well! Once the signature pages are printed and signed, they can be faxed or e-mailed back to us, therefore saving the subcontractor the cost of stamps and envelopes, along with providing a peace of mind that their documents will arrive quickly and safely to us.

Easy filing – We are saving our documents in PDF files so that they can be stored electronically to access for years to come. Once we scan all supporting documents and signature pages with the contract, change or purchase order, we e-mail a copy to the appropriate person(s) for their records, helping everyone to “be green”.

Call APPRO Development to discuss sustainable construction services for designing, constructing or remodeling energy efficient buildings.

Have the Federal tax credits for energy efficient products been extended for 2011?

On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. This law extends the tax credits for energy efficiency into 2011, BUT at lower levels. The levels revert back to those in effect in 2006 and 2007, which were 10% of the cost of the improvement, up to $500, with a $200 max for windows, and several other set maximums. Info per the EPA.

Highlights:

10% up to $500 for insulation, roofs, and doors.

Windows capped at $200, but qualification now ENERGY STAR

Furnace and boilers capped at $150, and all furnaces and boilers must meet 95 AFUE

$50 for advanced main air circulating fan

$300 for air conditioners, water heaters, and biomass stoves

$500 lifetime limit. If you got over $500 in these tax credits from 2006-2010, you are not eligible for anything more.

Note these credits are for energy efficient home improvements and typically cannot be claimed by a company or corporation on commercial property. This information does not include available rebates from your utility provider.

Low-cost/No-cost winter energy saving tips for Minnesota business

Energy Effiecient practices and energy remodel/retrofit ideas to save money and energy

After the fifth biggest snowfall total in Minnesota history, we can surmise that winter is here to stay for a little while. Gone are the days of El Niño. Apparently these are the times of the real winters. So what can a business do now to survive the rising cost of energy and curb expenditures? Here’s a link to an article geared for your home that provides many insights as to what can be done at a small business: http://www.energysavers.gov/seasonal/tips_winter.html most of these tips for your home can be adjusted to your business environment.

Some of the most useful tips we’ve found include the following: Run ceiling fans in areas with high ceilings on low speed, this helps push heat down from the ceiling to the floor or you could say it circulates the air from the floor upward as well. Turn off lights in rooms not normally occupied – motion sensor light switches work great for this especially in areas like toilet rooms or conference rooms. Use a motion sensor or photocell for outdoor security lighting. Setting back the thermostat on weekends when the building is not normally occupied is a great way to reduce energy consumption.

Want a more in depth look into your particular building or lease space? Call APPRO Development and we’d be glad to review your building and make you aware of some of the current rebate offers.