McHenry County Treasurer Building Dedication Set

McHenry County will be holding a dedication for the Treasurer’s Office building in recognition of obtaining an Energy Star label designation. 

WHEN:          Wednesday, April 18 – 1:00 pm

WHERE:       McHenry County Treasurer’s Office

                        2100 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock

Energy Star is a voluntary government and industry partnership that makes it easy for businesses and consumers to save money and protect the environment.  The Treasurer’s Office building is the first McHenry County building to achieve an Energy star rating, achieving a rating of 84 out of 100.  To achieve an Energy Star rating, a building must attain a score of 75, ranking it among the top quartile of all same like buildings in energy use. 

McHenry County has been an Energy Star partner since 2003. The current program began in 1991 as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Lights program, followed shortly by the introduction of the Energy Star label. In 1996, the EPA partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to increase the range of Energy Star product offerings. 

In January 2010, the Treasurer moved into a vacant building that was formally a commercial bank across the street from the McHenry County Government Center. The existing building was constructed in 1978 and is a single story structure with a full basement.  The facility was consistent with the building type and occupancy as originally designed.  For this reason, it was ideally suited to relocate the McHenry County Treasurer’s Office from the Administration Building to this new location.

The building’s square footage is 5710 square feet. The McHenry County Board and the Facilities Management Department recognized the potential to improve the building’s energy efficiency and renovate using Energy Star and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines with their architect.

For more information on Energy Star, please visit www.energystar.gov.

 McHenry County Treasurer’s Office Energy Star Fact Sheet

Under the guidance of the County Board, McHenry County Director of Facilities Management John Hadley and Architect Chris Hansen of Kluber Architect & Engineers worked closely to identify several green design elements that were incorporated into the project.

Architectural Systems:

TPO Roofing Membrane:  The “white” Thermoplastic Membrane Roofing system was specified for its high solar reflective index commonly referred to as SRI. 

Roof Insulation:  The two inch thickness of existing roofing insulation was replaced with two layers of two inch thickness (total of 4 inches) of polyisocyanurate board insulation. The original R value of the old roofing insulation was approximately R-10. The new insulation has an R value of 24.

The carpet and paint products specified contain low Volatile Organic Compounds reducing the impact of these components on indoor air quality.

Mechanical Systems:

Furnaces – New Energy Star rated gas fired furnaces were installed to replace the old gas furnaces. The old furnaces had an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 80%. The new furnaces are high efficiency, sealed combustion type and have an annual fuel utilization efficiency of 95%.

Air Conditioning – New Energy Star rated air cooled condensing units were installed to replace the old air conditioning system. The new condensing units utilize a refrigerant that have zero ozone-depletion potential. The condensing units also have a seasonal efficiency of 13.

Controls – Direct digital controls were utilized to operate the equipment with building unoccupied temperature setbacks and capability of web-based monitoring of the building.

Electrical Systems:

Interior Lighting:  Interior lighting utilized energy efficient fluorescent lighting sources. Meets the International Energy Conservation Code’s (IECC) power allowance requirements of 1.0 Watts per square foot.

Exterior Lighting:  The parking lot pole lighting was specified with LED lamps in lieu of traditional HID (Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium) units. The LED lights utilized less energy than traditional lamps and last 40% longer. The typical LED light fixture will burn for 50,000 hours compared to traditional 400W Metal Halide lamp that has an average life of 36,000 hours.

Lighting Controls:  Individual interior lighting controls, including dual light level controls, were provided for the interior lighting fixtures.

All internal lighting fixtures are connected to a central lighting controller which will automatically shut off lighting fixtures after normal business hours.

A master switch has been provided for occupants to override the interior lighting automatic shut off function.

Exterior lighting controls include an astronomical time clock and a photo-sensor. These controls will prevent exterior lighting fixtures from consuming energy during daylight hours.

Energy Management begins with a senior-level commitment for continuous improvement in energy efficiency.  The County Board and the McHenry County Facilities Management Department have adopted this commitment as they move forward with other County Buildings.