Our Environmental Footprint

At Morrissey Engineering, we design energy-efficient solutions beyond construction documents to consider the building's total life cycle. And live operational sustainability as well.

Electricity

Our all-electric building is positioned for the future to maximize grid-level improvements to renewable energy infrastructure and minimize contributions from fossil fuels.

Building systems that reduce energy or assist in managing a facility is an investment. Enhanced electrical metering enables building operators to monitor that investment and maintain long-term savings. Both consumption (kWh) and demand (kW) data are delivered live from sub-meters located in the building. They can be compared to energy modeling predictions or stored historical data daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Seasonal averages are continuously calculated and used to benchmark building performance across all metered variables. We currently use an eGauge electrical submetering system at our headquarters (the 4940 Building) for ongoing energy monitoring. Click here to view real-time data from our building.

Renewable Energy

We are working to pioneer the implementation of renewable energy systems in the state through participation in nonprofit organizations, educational initiatives, community outreach, design services, and our adoption of onsite renewable energy systems, which offsets approximately 25% of annual electrical energy consumption and shaves peak kW demand. We subsidize offsite renewable energy for the remainder of our purchased power by purchasing RECs.

Water

Low-flow water fixtures in our building reduce water usage by as much as 50% from the calculated baseline. We are always on the lookout for new and improved technologies as well.

Waste

We conduct annual waste audits onsite and update our recycling and composting programs as availability changes in our region. Internal purchasing and waste management plans are also in place – services we can assist clients with developing from our experiences.

Transportation

Given our suburban Omaha location, alternative transportation options remain our most significant challenge. However, the current location of our office is also the actual geographical midpoint for our staff, minimizing overall commute miles and carbon footprints. We offer bicycle storage and showers onsite for those who can bike into the office.

Human Experience

We continuously monitor indoor environmental parameters, including air quality, lighting, acoustics, and thermal comfort. As self-professed data geeks, we constantly analyze all this information to ensure our office is the best workplace. All of this is validated through quarterly occupant surveys distributed to all staff.

Ongoing Monitoring

We continuously add and report data on our building's environmental performance using the Arc platform (view our live data stream graphics here). Arc is an ongoing building performance monitoring and scoring platform that displays a Performance Score based on the measured performance of the building for Energy, Water, Waste, Transportation, and Human Experience. The Performance Score corresponds with the globally recognized LEED certification levels (40-49 = Certified, 50-59 = Silver, 60-79 = Gold, 80+ = Platinum).

Arc makes the invisible actionable and offers a means for interaction with the building on multiple levels: visitors can "see" performance, occupants can provide feedback on their experience, and owners and building managers can view trends to make informed decisions to optimize the building, benefiting people, planet, and profit.