Our Environmental Footprint

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


Renewable Energy

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


Water

Low-flow water fixtures in our building reduce water usage by as much as 50% from 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 biggest challenge currently. However, the current location of our office is also the true geographical midpoint for our staff, minimizing overall commute miles and carbon footprints. For those who can bike into the office, we offer bicycle storage and showers onsite.


Human Experience

We continuously monitor indoor environmental parameters including air quality, lighting, acoustics, and thermal comfort. As self-professed data geeks, we continuously analyze all of this information to ensure our office is truly the best place to work. 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 which 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.