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e300 Taking Iowa to Green Heights

3E and Bell Brothers

e300
Taking Iowa to Greener Heights

Completed in July 2009, the e300 grand design/build collaborative was erected with a vision to bring fresh energy, diversity and accessibility to east village, while making a feather-light carbon footprint on downtown Des Moines. The six-story, mixed-use development integrates a myriad of green elements in its design. Located at 300 East Grand Avenue, e300 lands renters within walking distance of shops, restaurants, a weekend farmers market, bike trails and public transportation. Among the buildings eco-friendly components are walls coated with low VOC paint, geothermal heat systems, recycling, fluorescent lighting complemented by natural light from abundant windows putting eco-friendly endeavors at dwellers fingertips.

Green Power
The Electric Company of Greater Des Moines did the electrical design and installation for e300. Responsible for making the green power a reality, they made sure every component of the facility would be energy efficient, from its hallways and office spaces to the nearly 80 studio, and one- and two-bedroom apartments. The goal was to not use any fossil fuels for tenant’s spaces. Everything had to be electric, said Matt Oleson, project manager at The Electric Company of Greater Des Moines.

Smart lighting design was a critical focus for e300. The Electric Company of Greater Des Moines, together with 3E Company, designed lighting and lighting controls to meet The Light Group’s energy efficiency standards. Occupancy sensors line the buildings hallways, mechanical rooms and offices and step dimming in lobby waiting areas will reduce lighting by 50 percent when sunlight is present. “Daylight sensors are a really neat feature we’re starting to see more of when we bid,” Oleson told us.

Inside the apartments, energy efficient light fixtures are incorporated which had to meet certain wattage per square foot. “We used a lamp and ballast combination that optimizes light output while reducing energy usage,”explained 3E Company’s Brian Drey.

“While you’ll spend more money upfront on light bulbs, etc., the longevity of these lamps is tremendous, with fluorescent lamps, you’re going from a 2,000-hour lamp to an 8,000- to 10,000-hour lamp,” said Oleson, adding that “they’re just as bright, but consume less energy.” A 32-watt fluorescent lamp puts out as much light as a 100-watt incandescent. “Most projects go green on lighting, and the amount of energy saved is tremendous”, said Matt. The result is a luminous dwelling with a mere fraction of the typical energy expended.

Innovative Air
Indoor chemical and pollutant control keeps air quality fresh at e300. Thanks to ABC of Iowa member Bell Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., who led the mechanical design team on the project, tenants will conserve energy while enjoying ideal temperatures year-round. Bell Brothers installed geothermal heat pumps systems, which use the renewable energy from the sun to heat and cool the entire apartment building. Chuck Gassman, Vice President & General Manager at Bell Brothers, says “geothermal systems are up to 70 percent more efficient that a traditional high efficiency gas furnace and air conditioner.” This is especially important in a mixed use facility of 79 apartments.

Geothermal heat pumps were installed throughout the building to heat and cool floors 2-6 and provide the building’s domestic hot water. McNair Geothermal installed 66 geothermal loops below the parking lot, each 420 feet down. “The loops are installed in circuits of 11 loops which are in the piping which goes to the building loop,” Gassman explained. “We have two 30 HP pumps which move the geothermal solution from the loop field to each individual heat pump in the building. The pumps are controlled by variable frequency drives. The VFD’s allow us to exactly match the geothermal solution flow to each unit and reduce the energy required to pump the solution.”

“The overall cost to install the Geothermal System was about double the cost of a conventional system,” said Gassman, who has installed about 300 geothermal systems this year. “But with the MidAmerican Energy Incentives and Tax Credits the additional cost is substantially reduced.” There are also federal tax credits/grants available for geothermal systems installed in commercial buildings. “The net effect of the tax incentives actually reduces the cost of the system to just slightly more than a conventional system,” said Gassman. Combine that with the money to be saved over the long term, and such an energy efficient system is well worth the price tag.

A Prototype for Floor-to-Ceiling Green
Many teams came together to look at energy saving ideas for e300. To coordinate so many different green components can be a challenge, and all teams pulled their designs together to complete a stunning project. One of the first in Des Moines metro area, this totally green mixed-use development makes conservation a cinch for residents and ground floor businesses. e300 opened its doors to renters on August 1st, and just one month later, 35 percent of the building is leased. “There are huge energy savings projected for this building,” says Gassman. “MidAmerican Energy and the Weidt Group predict annual energy saving of 250,000 kilowatt hours over a conventional system. This is comparable to taking 25 homes off the electric grid.”