DETROIT — Wayne County, Michigan, announced that a pilot program aimed at improving energy use and reducing utility costs at Detroit’s historic Guardian Building took another step forward with the successful installation of its Energy Operation Center. The more than $1 million project, funded by the Korea Micro-Energy Grid (K-MEG) consortium, uses an advanced energy management system to control building operating systems. Along with other capital improvements, it is estimated to save 10 to 15 percent on the Wayne County headquarters building's utility expenses, approximately $200,000 annually, beginning in August 2014.

With the Energy Operation Center installed, K-MEG officials will monitor the systems in the coming weeks and make adjustments as needed before officially calling the work finished. The Guardian Building monitoring is one of three pilot programs in buildings initiated by K-MEG across the United States.

K-MEG, a consortium of 80 Korean companies, constructed the Energy Operation Center to run its various control/automation systems on the 16th floor of the Guardian Building. From the center, K-MEG can monitor building energy systems, airflow usage, and utility output in the Guardian Building.

“Wayne County was honored to be part of the pilot program agreement with K-MEG,” said Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. “The technological enhancements will improve the operational efficiency of the Guardian Building. It’s a win for our general operating budget and the taxpayers in Wayne County. We continue to look for and use the latest technologies, so we can reduce our overhead in the short term, while making us more efficient in the long run.”

For more information, visit www.waynecounty.com/executive/guardianbuilding.htm.

Publication date: 8/4/2014

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