Practicing What We Preach: How SSR Reduced Energy Use in Our Nashville Office

At SSR, sustainability isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we live every day. As part of our IMPACT goals, we recently took a closer look at our own operations to ensure we’re practicing what we preach. One area stood out: lighting controls in our Nashville office. 

The Challenge 

During an energy audit—the first step in our continuous improvement process—we discovered that lights in the Nashville office’s common areas were often on far longer than necessary. In fact, the original schedule kept lights on from 4:00 AM to 11:00 PM, even when no one was in the building. While this setup made sense (on some level) pre-COVID, it didn’t align with our current sustainability goals. 

The Solution 

Rather than investing in new systems, our team leveraged existing resources and expertise. This was a collaborative effort involving our IMPACT committee, new building commissioning team, building optimization and sustainability team, and IT. Rebecca Richardson, Commissioning Field Agent, located the original lighting control submittals, and with help from IT, accessed the system and adjusted the schedule. Today, lights turn off at 9:00 PM on weekdays and remain off on weekends unless manually overridden for short periods. 

The Impact 

This simple, low-cost change has already delivered measurable results: 

• Energy Reduction: Significant decrease in electricity usage (3.8%) 

• Cost Savings: Lower utility bills for our Nashville office (annual projected savings over $4,500) 

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Reduced environmental footprint (4.7%) 

These improvements went into effect on September 4, 2025 and we’ve maintained the new schedule since. 

Why It Matters 

Even as engineers and sustainability advocates, we recognize that there’s always room for improvement. This project reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and being a good steward of the environment—not just for our clients, but within our own spaces. 

Could Your Office Do This Too? 

If your building has a lighting control system—or if you’re not sure—start by asking your building maintenance team or conducting an energy audit. Many modern office spaces (especially those renovated in the last decade) have this capability, and small changes can lead to big savings.