EL E VAT ING SUSTA INA BI L I T Y


Sustainable Strategies


How Contractors Can Easily Implement Best Practices to Help Build Sustainability on Jobsites


BY EMI LAFOUNTAIN, TURNER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY T


urner Construction Company has found that numerous scalable, sustainable solutions are avail-


able today at no additional cost to the project. Indeed, many of these strategies can yield savings when implemented by contractors. Tis article outlines and explores a


variety of sustainability best practices that can be adopted by construction teams at low, no, or even net negative cost to the project.


1 Hybridized Generators Hybridizing generators with batteries allows for reduced generator runtime. One Turner project had a security shack running off hybrid generators, which saw an 83% reduction in fuel and net savings of $300/month in temporary power costs.


Te best thing we can do to cut pow- er-related emissions is to get on the grid early by submitting our temporary power single lines early and procuring switchgears suitably sized for an electri- fied jobsite. But if that’s not an option, hybridizing temporary generators is the next best thing.


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CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JULY/AUGUST 2025


Generators are sized in excess of what actual load anticipations are and rarely run at 100% capacity. Hybrid genera- tors work by taking this excess energy to charge an auxiliary battery, which in turn powers site loads (e.g., a trailer or security shack). When the battery dips below a set point, it tells the generator to turn on until the battery is charged – it then turns off again. It’s simple logic, but depending on the application, these setups can save upwards of 75-85% of a generator’s run time. Te resulting fuel savings often pay off the premium for the battery rental, and the consequent reductions in labor, maintenance, noise, and air pollutants make it all the better.


2 Add Thermostats to Your Temporary Heating


Implementing smart thermostat controls to temporary heaters on a recent Turner project yielded an 80% reduction in emissions and a net savings of $37,000. When buildings are under construction and permanent heating systems are not yet operational, many jobs require the use


of temporary heating systems to condition the space to ensure that newly installed finishes and glues do not warp or fail. While essential for quality control,


temporary heating — which is often provided via fossil fuels like diesel, pro- pane, or natural gas — is an expensive and carbon-intensive process. Adding smart thermostats to temporary heating systems to turn off the base heater when the space has hit the target temperature range allows for quality control records, fuel savings, and fewer hours spent turn- ing off units at the end of the day.


A recent Turner project found that utilizing smart sensors yielded an 80% reduction in fuel consumption and a net savings of $37,000 for the project after just two months of use.


3 Hybrid and Electric Light


Towers, Message Boards, and Security Cameras


Hybrid light towers have yielded fuel reduction percentages in the mid-to- high 90% range.


Of the pieces of jobsite equipment that are easiest to electrify and decarbonize,


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