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New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Lisette Camilo announced the 50th installation of wireless pneumatic thermostats, a sustainable technology that will save time, money and energy in older buildings. As part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal to transform New York City’s municipal buildings for a low-carbon future, as outlined in One City, Built to Last, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has identified, tested and vetted this new innovative wireless digital thermostat.
The wireless pneumatic thermostats, or WPT, technology is from Cypress Envirosystems and can be installed in a fraction of the time and cost compared to conventional methods which entail ripping out obsolete HVAC equipment. The new WPT devices also enables building operators to take advantage of programmable energy saving strategies in older buildings.
“DCAS is committed to making investments in innovative technologies as part of finding practical, cost-effective solutions to increase the energy efficiencies of our aging building stock,” Camilo says. “The new programmable thermostats are one of many solutions DCAS is examining in order for the City to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 35 percent by 2025.”
The City has a diverse portfolio of more than 4,000 municipal buildings. The WPT thermostats were tested as part of DCAS’ IDEA Program – Innovative Demonstrations for Energy Adaptability – which seeks to find new solutions to reduce the City’s carbon footprint. As part of the initial stage of the program, a high school in Queens had the WPT tested and it showed a reduction of its heating fuel by twenty percent.
"The WPT is a non-invasive technology to upgrade inefficient pneumatic thermostats to digital programmable thermostats in existing buildings. It enables HVAC energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction of 20-30 percent, improves the comfort of occupants, and reduces the maintenance labor required. Because of the unique non-invasive nature of the solution, it can be installed in about 10 minutes compared with hours for conventional technology,” says Harry Sim, CEO of Cypress Envirosystems.
The latest installation was completed on August 17, at 100 Centre Street. So far more than 6,500 WPT thermostats have been installed in 50 municipal buildings covering approximately 6.5 million square feet of space. This equates to a total energy savings of 78,167 million BTU’s per year, and 797,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas, which is equivalent to removing more than 617,295 cars off the road. Video of WPT Installation: https://vimeo.com/47261716
Council Member Costa Constantinides, Chair of the Council’s Environmental Protection Committee, says, “These new Wireless Pneumatic Thermostats installed across our city will save us money and conserve energy. As we move closer toward our goal of reducing carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, we must implement innovative solutions like conserving energy in our buildings. Thank you to DCAS Commissioner Lisette Camilo for leading the way on this energy-savings initiative.”
DCAS received the 2017 Institutional Energy Management Award from the Association of Energy Engineers for achieving national and international prominence in promoting the practices and principles of energy engineering and energy management.
