U.S. General Services Administration
50 UNP Energy Saving Features
50 UNP is a high-performance, green building that uses primarily daylight and natural ventilation to regulate indoor air temperature. Your effective operation of the following building systems directly impacts your thermal comfort.
Ceiling Fans and Lighting Control Panels
The lighting controls in the open office area consist of a group of switches located next to the entrance of your office. The switches are underneath a row of wall-mounted wireless ceiling fan remotes. A "Master ON/OFF" switch controls all of the lights and fans in the area. Each day, the first person entering the area will need to push the "Master ON" button to turn on the lights and activate the ceiling fan circuits. The Master Switch must be on to operate ceiling fans.
Lighting Controls
The two-button switch next to the Master Switch controls the square down lights adjacent to the central corridor.
To maximize energy efficiency, occupancy sensors control the lights. During the day lights will turn off if an area is unoccupied for at least 15 minutes. Once an area becomes occupied, the lights will automatically turn back on.
The last person leaving the office area at the end of the day should turn off the Master Switch.
Ceiling Fan Operation
The Master Switch must be on to operate ceiling fans. To manually adjust ceiling fans speeds use the wall mounted wireless remotes.
Ceiling fans can be operated at 3 speeds, "low," "medium" and "high." The "light" button on the remote is non-operational. The wireless remotes are arranged on the wall in the same order as the ceiling fans which they control.
To operate, remove the remote, point it toward the fan, and make adjustments. Replace the remote in the wall holster immediately. Never take a remote back to your workstation. No replacement remotes will be provided if one disappears. The last person leaving the office area at the end of the day should turn off the ceiling fans prior to turning off the Master Switch.
Lighting and Ceiling Fan After Hours Mode
At 5:00 p.m. the lights and ceiling fan circuits are scheduled to move into an "after-hours" mode. If you are in the workspace, press the "Master ON" button to stay to keep the lights on for two more hours. If required, the user can push the "Master On" switch again to initiate another two-hour override period.
Once the area moves into "after-hours" mode, the ceiling fans will all shut off, and the lights will continue to function as before, except that occupancy sensors will now turn lights off in unoccupied areas after five minutes, instead of 15 minutes.
The last occupant to leave a space should push the "Master OFF" button. This will turn off all lights and ceiling fans and send the area into "after hours" mode.
Operable Windows and Green Lighting System
A series of green lights have been installed on the ceiling to indicate when windows should be open or closed. Natural ventilation is a very efficient means of keeping the building comfortable. However, it is important to keep the windows closed while the heat is on to save energy. When temperatures are below 58°F, the green light will be off, indicating that you should close your windows to avoid wasting heat. When the green light is on, go ahead and open the windows. Please close the windows at the end of the day. You will prevent the building from getting too cool overnight, causing the heating system to work harder the next morning.
Window Blinds
The exterior street (Hyde, McAllister, Levenworth Court) and UN Plaza facing blinds are designed for blast protection and should always remain down, except when opening or closing the windows. This is necessary on all floors, basement to fifth floors.
To operate the blinds, use the cord on the right side to raise and lower the blinds. The cord on the left side is used to adjust the blade angle.
When raising blinds, support the blind with your hand in the center to prevent breakage. The blinds are very heavy so they should always be raised slowly with proper support. Always raise blinds before operating the windows.
The last person leaving the office area at the end of the day should ensure that all blinds are down.
Windows
At 50 UNP windows can be opened from both the top and the bottom. To open the bottom portion of the window unlocks the window latch. Raise the window partially and then lift the window from the bottom.
To open the upper window, unlock the window latch and pull the window down.
As a security measure, windows on the first floor, have stops installed to limit the opening to four inches
At the end of the day always close and lock all windows for security purposes. Raise the blinds above the height of the bottom window. Close both windows, then turn the latch firmly until it is completely set. Finally, lower the blinds back down.
Radiator Heating
System
Radiant heat is generated from the low pressure steam radiators located at the perimeter of the building.
The radiators may be set between 1 and 2. If you require more heat, you may turn up the setting to level 3 for no more than five minutes. Radiators can get hot and setting radiators above level 3 can be a safety hazard.
When windows are open radiators should be set to level 1.
Conference Room Lighting
Conference Room lighting is operated in the same manner as open office areas, except there is no "Master ON" button and no different modes of operation based on time of day. Conference rooms are also controlled by occupancy sensors, which will turn the lights off when unoccupied. Please see the office lighting section for further operational instructions.
Enclosed Offices with Ceiling Fans
In enclosed offices, lights are controlled by an occupancy sensor and manual dimmer. Ceiling fans are controlled with a two-button wall switch. Fan speed is adjusted manually with the wireless remote.
This is an indicator of outside temperature. When the outside air temperature is above 58°F, the green light will illuminate indicating that occupants should feel free to open and close windows at their discretion. When the outside air temperature is below 58°F, the green light will turn off and windows should be closed if possible to prevent unnecessary operation of the heating systems. Note that filtered and tempered ventilation air will be provided to ensure good indoor air quality even when windows are closed. If the green light is not on and the space is too warm, windows can be cracked 1" to 2" as necessary to maintain comfort.
Natural ventilation is a very efficient means of keeping the building comfortable. However, it is important to keep the windows closed while the heat is on. As a building occupant, it is your responsibility to close windows when the weather is cool and save energy. This will be indicated by the "green light system". When temperatures are below 58°F, the green light will turn off, indicating that you should close your windows to avoid unnecessary heating. Furthermore, the building’s ventilation system will continue to maintain high indoor air quality by supplying the space with tempered ventilation air (outside air that has been filtered and heated to a neutral temperature) while the windows are closed. The other thing you can do to make the building more efficient is to close the windows at the end of the day. This prevents the building getting too cool overnight, causing the heating system to work harder the next morning.
One of the great benefits of natural ventilation is that you can open a window when you want more fresh air. However, when doing so, you should be aware of the outside temperature. If the temperature is cool (the green light will turn off at temperatures below 58°F), you could easily make people near the window feel cool due to draft, and if the heating system is on you could also make the building use more energy.