Gallup Engagement Manager Vicki Sloan, left, Vice President of Facilities for Gallup Ed Miller and Chief Operating Officer Jane Miller work from the Gallup campus. A large water feature in the atrium area provides a calming backdrop, while large windows provide natural light and scenic views.
Award Has Honored Excellence For 26 Years Gallup joins a distinguished group of commercial and industrial customers that have been honored by OPPD since 1984 for efficient and innovative use of energy. The award is named for J. M Harding, OPPD’s first president. Harding served in that capacity for 20 years and built OPPD into the most progressive public power district in the state. Past Winners 2008 – NatureWorks 2007 – Mutual of Omaha 2006 – Millard Public Schools 2005 – Methodist Health System 2004 – The Lund Company 2003 – Henry Doorly Zoo 2002 – Creighton University 2001 – Westside Community Schools 2000 – Offutt Air Force Base 1999 – University of Nebraska Medical Center 1998 – Baker’s Supermarkets 1997 – Bellevue Public Schools 1996 – First National Bank 1995 – 3M Valley 1994 – Nebraska Furniture Mart 1993 – First Data Resources, Inc. 1992 – KVI Associates, Inc. 1991 – Omaha Public Schools 1990 – Mutual of Omaha Companies 1989 – Wilkinson Manufacturing 1988 – Campbell Soup Company 1987 – Control Data Corporation 1986 – Vickers 1985 – AT&T – Omaha Works 1984 – Valmont Industries, Inc. 6 OPPD ideas/summer 2009
Gallup’s 2,000 professionals deliver services at client organizations, through the web, at Gallup University’s campuses, and in 40 offices around the world. Doing the right things While Gallup’s foundation is based on asking the right questions, the organization’s philosophy clearly revolves around doing the right things, particularly in the areas of environmental stewardship and energy applications. Gallup’s pictureperfect facility overlooking the Missouri River showcases numerous examples of each. Gallup helped lead the development of the Omaha riverfront by choosing the 50 acres for its headquarters campus, which opened in 2003. The 305,000-squarefoot main building encompasses an area the size of five football fields and serves as a “town square” for the planned office campus. Gallup is adding a 100,000-square-foot addition to its campus, scheduled for completion this fall. “We are quite proud of our LEED certification at the silver level,” said Ed Miller, Vice President of Facilities for Gallup. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. “The addition also will pave the way with environmental design by incorporating one of the largest green roofs in Omaha,” said Miller, who added that the green roof was one of the criteria that will help with Gallup’s higher LEED rating. The roof space will have a substantial area covered with native grasses and flowers. (See “What is a Green Roof?” box.) Using Energy Wisely In October 2008, the Gallup campus completed a Continuous CommissioningSM (CCSM) project that reduced electricity demand by 14.6 percent, electricity consumption by 28.9 percent and gas consumption by 20.2 percent, based on seven month’s of utility data since the project was completed. OPPD offers CC services
to customers in cooperation with the Energy Systems Laboratory of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aksarben campus. At Gallup, the CC services resulted in the following energy-saving measures: • O ptimization of the hot water pump speed and temperature control • I mplementation of CC fan airflow station technology on all nine air-handling units • I ntegration of outside air control with return fan speed control • I mplementation of CC pump flow station technology in the chilled and condenser water pumps • F ine-tuning of 304 single-duct terminal boxes
As a result, Gallup personnel have noticed fewer comfort complaints in the facility and improved system reliability, and they have eliminated building
pressure-control issues. Gallup’s investment in the riverfront is paying off for the community and for the employees working there. Continued
What is a Green Roof? A green roof, like this one below, being installed at Gallup, is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, planted over a waterproofing membrane. Long popular in Europe, green rooftops are gaining popularity in the U.S. to reduce energy costs and add beauty to the urban Native wildflowers grace the rooftop. landscape. An aerial view of most urban areas shows swathes of asphalt, black tar and gravel-ballasted rooftops. Heat radiates off of the dark roofs, and water rushes over the hard, impermeable surfaces. Green roofs: • k eep the roof cooler, minimizing energy bills • r educe storm-water runoff • p rotect the roof membrane from sunlight, which breaks down the roofing material • i mprove air quality • p rovide a source of oxygen and a habitat for birds
In mid-May, landscapers installed an energy-saving “green roof’ on top of an addition being built on the south side of the Gallup campus. Native grasses and flowers will cover most of the roof, while ornamental trees will be planted in large planter boxes. OPPD ideas/summer 2009 7