Solar energy powers contractor's building


As seen in the


Thursday, October 12, 2006

By Conor Greene

READINGTON TWP. -- At first glance, the building at 31 Tannery Road looks like a typical warehouse in the industrial area at the township's eastern edge. But a closer look reveals the state's largest privately-owned commercial building powered entirely by solar energy, according to its owners. The building, which serves as the new 41,000-square-foot headquarters of Ferreira Construction, utilizes a combination of eight components, each either producing energy or reducing the building's energy needs. By bringing together the various technologies -- including 1,276 rooftop solar panels, a highly efficient boiler system and a radiant-slab heating system -- the owners have created a building that produces more energy than it uses, and has become a model throughout the state for this type of project.

"The biggest thing we have going on here is that we have so many different things all in one place," said Ed Brzezowski, a professional engineer with Ferreira who designed the system. "We're working toward zero energy by having energy conservation systems working together with renewable energy." The building, occupied about four months, runs completely off energy captured from the sun between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. It's enough to fuel the building's needs for the rest of the day. "When you get the two (systems) working together, you can do some incredible things, and we are starting to see that," said Brzezowski. "We run everything in the building off sun from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m."

The new building is nine times larger than the company's old one next door, but it produces lower energy bills, according to Tony Ferreira, a marketing executive for the company. After receiving final approval from the utility company, the solar system went online on July 12. "Since that time, it has met 100% of our electricity needs," Brzezowski said. During the August heat wave, when outdoor temperatures exceeded 100 degrees, "we were able to operate off the grid, maintaining comfortable (indoor) temperatures and still provide a surplus to other utility customers."

The idea was the brainchild of company owner Nelson Ferriera, according to his brother Tony. "The state has programs for solar energy as well high efficiency buildings, so Nelson asked Ed to pursue the grant programs and to identify based on the size of the building how the solar energy and other components of the project would mitigate our expense," he said. Brzezowski put together a plan incorporating the various aspects to determine how much it would cost, and was given the okay to proceed, Ferreira said. "This is something that Nelson had the foresight to want to provide for the new building, since it's going to be here a long time. This is the first completely privately funded project of its size in New Jersey."

Several contractors have toured the building at 31 Tannery Road and are considering implementing the designs into their new headquarters, and the company's efforts have also been noticed by a couple of school districts, Tony Ferreira said. "We hope to continue to use our building as a model and show other businesses and school districts what can be done," he said.

Tying all the aspects together is a building automation program designed by Brzezowski that integrates the systems and enables real-time remote monitoring. Sitting in his office, Brzezowski looks at a computer monitor and knows exactly how much energy is coming in and how much is being used. As a cloud passes overhead, the energy flow decreases; the building's usage increases when somebody presses an elevator button.

While the planning and implementation didn't go without a few hitches, Brzezowski says the end result has made the effort worthwhile. "We saw the value and uniqueness of it, a chance-of-a-lifetime kind of thing, and stuck through it in hard and frustrating times," he said. "Now we're seeing the benefits from it and it's now the fun time, as we see (the results) reinforced every day through real time monitoring."

Brzezowski is submitting an application for the Governor's Environmental Excellence Award, and the building was included in the 2006 Green Buildings Open House tour, which took place throughout the Northeast on Oct. 7. The company is a heavy highway, road and bridge contractor, construction management firm and environmental consultancy, with more than 200 employees, Ferreira said. Founded in 1988, it constructed its new facility after outgrowing its original building located next door on Tannery Road.