The First Facility Management Blog

Halco Lighting Technologies recently announced the conclusion to its participation in the national 2007/ 2008 ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World campaign. On October 9, 2007 Halco joined ENERGY STAR and a progressively greener community’s effort to change, one light—one energy saving step—at a time with its supporting pledge. The campaign, sponsored by The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of Housing and Urban Development, kicked off on October 3, 2007 and officially came to a close on October 1, 2008.   

Halco is announced a total savings of 9,859,848 kWh and the prevention of 14,300,276 pounds of green-house gas emissions as a result of its collected pledges. Among the campaign drivers in the state of Georgia, Halco acquired the third largest number of individual pledges. The company was also pleased to report that it was in the top percentile among other leading light bulb manufactures.

Along its campaign trail, Halco participated in the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech’s Earth Day festivities and actions along with teaming up with Oglethorpe and Kennesaw University with spreading the awareness. Halco acknowledged the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, Jewish Family and Child Services, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Best of Atlanta, and several representatives and distributors for their combined efforts in Halco’s 2007/2008 Change a Light, Change the World Campaign endeavors.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the nation’s schools spend an average of $175 per student on energy costs—a figure that continues to rise every year. Overall, utility bills are the second largest expense behind personnel costs.

At the same time, there is a growing awareness across the country about environmental impact and the effects of global warming. And many schools are looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions and serve as models of energy conservation.

Honeywell is helping school districts in California address both concerns through a new solar program. The company recently announced that Dixon Unified School District and Riverdale Joint Unified School District in central California have awarded Honeywell solar projects expected to drive more than $1 million in energy savings for each district over the next 20 years. Under the agreements, Honeywell will install solar panels at several facilities and sell the electricity the panels produce to the districts. The projects require no upfront investment from the districts, which are able to buy renewable energy at a price below their current utility rates.

In Dixon, Honeywell will install a SunSeeker™ ground mounted photovoltaic solar array from Thompson Technology Industries at the district’s new high school. The array will use single axis tracking technology to automatically orient the panels to the sun’s position in the sky, improving the electrical output of the system. The system is expected to generate more than 1.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually— enough energy to power 120 homes per year and supply more than 80% of the electricity for the school.

“The combination of financial and environmental benefits made the solar project with Honeywell a sound decision,” said Dixon Unified School District superintendent Roger Halberg. “The new high school will serve the district for a long time. And the solar installation will help ensure it is as carbon neutral as possible.”

Honeywell will install similar technology at Riverdale High School and Fipps Primary School in Riverdale. These arrays are expected to generate nearly 1.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which will cover more than 60% of the district’s total electricity load.

“The fact that going green also provided a financial advantage was very attractive to us,” said Elaine Cash, superintendent of Riverdale Joint Unified School District. “This solar project with Honeywell will maximize our budget resources while maintaining clean, sustainable schools.”

Honeywell also has implemented solar projects for Pleasanton Unified School District in the San Francisco Bay Area and Poway Unified School District in San Diego. It estimates that if only 20% of California districts installed similar solar technology, the state could reduce conventional electricity consumption in schools by six to nine percent.

Collectively, the company’s solar work for schools in California is expected to cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4.3 million pounds and nitrous oxide emissions by nearly 4,000 pounds. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing more than 460 cars from the road or planting 575 acres of trees.

In addition to reducing costs and emissions, the solar arrays at all four districts are expected to serve as an educational tool that faculty can use to teach students about energy conservation and alternative energy sources. Through Web based portals, teachers and students will be able to see the real time electrical output from the solar technology and learn how the systems operate.

“Honeywell is helping these school districts identify the most appropriate renewable energy technology to meet their unique requirements, and doing it in a way that is line with their budgets,” said Kent Anson, vice president of global energy for Honeywell Building Solutions. “In addition to helping the schools with rising energy costs, the solar arrays also will provide students a solid educational tool for years to come.”

Honeywell will work with SPG Solar, Inc. to install the panels and expects to begin providing electricity to the Dixon and Riverdale districts by year’s end. The work will partially be funded by solar rebates offered through the California Solar Initiative, a program aimed at moving the state toward a cleaner energy future through implementation of solar systems. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, TN, has signed an $89 million energy savings performance contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. to apply advanced energy conservation solutions, including a biomass gasification system, to the campus.

This project is the first signed initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Transformational Energy Action Management (TEAM) Initiative, which is an action plan to dramatically transform the DOE’s energy, environmental, and transportation management. TEAM aims to meet or exceed the aggressive energy efficiency goals set forth by the federal government, fundamentally transforming the way the DOE manages energy use in its facilities.

“By working with Johnson Controls, Oak Ridge National Laboratory will achieve its long term energy reduction goals far earlier than expected while saving millions of taxpayer dollars,” said ORNL director Thom Mason. “We are dedicated to alternative energy sources. Being able to tap renewable energy for our facility is a great way to see our purpose realized.”

As the project’s cornerstone, a wood gasification biomass system will take the place of the existing natural gas steam plant and steam distribution system. By using woody biomass from the region as the main energy source for the facilities, ORNL will reduce fossil fuel consumption by 80%. Furthermore, the biomass plant significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to planting 32 million trees.

Overall, ORNL will benefit from an innovative suite of energy efficiency solutions including the installation of a “super boiler,” advanced electric metering, energy efficient lighting, water conservation measures, compressed air cooling, comprehensive HVAC improvements, and a building management system to ensure the mission critical standards are maintained.

By eliminating more than 1.5 miles of steam piping and using enhanced technology, the “super boiler” will be up to 94% efficient. This is a significant improvement when compared to traditional boilers which operate from 50%-60% efficiently. The water conservation measures will also reduce water usage by more than 115 million gallons annually, resulting in a long term reduction of 16%. As a whole, the entire project will reduce energy intensity in the labs and office buildings by 30%, meeting ORNL’s long term energy reduction goal and significantly contributing to the goals of the TEAM initiative.

“One year ago, Secretary Bodman challenged the entire U.S. Department of Energy to meet or exceed the President’s goals for increasing energy efficiency, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing the use of renewable energy in the Federal government,” DOE deputy assistant secretary David Rodgers said. “I’m proud to announce DOE is delivering with alternative financing methods that reduce the need for federal spending.”

It is estimated that the biomass gasification system, “super boiler”, and energy efficiency improvements will generate $8 million annually in energy and operational savings. As a result, ORNL expects to save more than $144 million over the 18 year term of the contract.

“This project is a great example of what can happen when strong leadership combines with innovative solutions,” said Iain Campbell, vice president/general manager, North America service and global workplace solutions at Johnson Controls. “Together, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Johnson Controls have developed a long term plan for success.”

Hundreds of projects across North America, including the ORNL project, are financed through a performance guarantee with Johnson Controls. Performance guarantees are a feature of performance based contracting, which allows a customer to make system improvements that are self funding via cost savings. Under such a contract, the cost of facility and infrastructure upgrades is paid for over a specified number of years by the energy, water, and operational cost savings the project generates. Johnson Controls guarantees all or a portion of these savings under the terms of the contract, which range in length from three to 25 years, depending on the customer’s preference.

No definitive date has been set for breaking ground on the project; however, completion is scheduled for sometime 2011.

Secretary Samuel W. Bodman recently announced the launch of the Transformational Energy Action Management (TEAM) Initiative, a Department-wide effort aimed at reducing energy intensity across the nationwide U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex by 30%. The TEAM Initiative aims to meet or exceed the aggressive goals for increasing energy efficiency throughout the federal government. The reductions across the DOE complex is expected to save approximately $90 million per year, after projects are paid for.

Bodman made the announcement while delivering closing remarks at the 10th GovEnergy 2007 conference in New Orleans, which brings together federal facility managers to discuss and implement energy management strategies.

“As the federal government’s lead agency on energy management, DOE will have raised the bar with TEAM Initiative,” Secretary Bodman said. “Over the next few years, DOE will leverage every possible public and private resource to improve our energy performance and reduce our energy intensity. By fundamentally transforming the way the Department manages energy use in its facilities, not only will we be able to achieve the President’s ambitious goals for increasing efficiency, but it will also allow for a cleaner, leaner and more efficient federal government.”

This Initiative meets or exceeds energy efficiency goals mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) as well as President Bush’s Executive Order (EO #13423), announced in January 2007, which directed federal agencies to: reduce energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions; substantially increase use and efficiency of renewable energy technologies; adopt sustainable design practices; and reduce petroleum use in federal fleets. This Initiative adopts an even more ambitious timeline and targets changes that will have an impact on DOE’s energy use as early as next year.

Specifically, TEAM Initiative requires that:
* By 2008, DOE have in place executable plans for all facilities to reduce energy intensity by 30%;
* The Department maximize installation of secure, on-site renewable energy projects at all DOE sites and/or optimize affordable purchases of renewable electricity;
* DOE’s entire Alternative Fuel Vehicles fleet operate exclusively on clean, alternative fuels;
* DOE benchmark and monitor water use and implement a plan–and begin saving water– by Fiscal Year 2008 to reduce consumption by at least 16%.
* New DOE construction, major renovations, and 15% of existing federal capital asset building inventory incorporate the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings, ultimately aspiring to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, or comparable certification;
* The Department use Environmental Management Systems to ensure implementation of, and provide the supporting framework for, these activities.

By setting aggressive goals and timelines, and streamlining contract approval for change, and increasing use of private financing to make improvements, TEAM Initiative will end DOE’s incremental approach to saving energy. To achieve the goals, the Department will expand its use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs), Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs) provided by utility companies. ESPCs and UESCs are contracting vehicles that allow agencies to complete needed energy savings projects for their facilities. ESCOs and utilities provide the private financing required for equipment purchases and process enhancements and are subsequently repaid from the revenues generated from energy cost savings resulting from improved energy efficiency.

Many of the measures implemented will require up-front investments, such as advanced lighting, heating, and air conditioning. The Department anticipates it will use some appropriated funds for these energy saving projects, however it will maximize use of alternative financing tools, such as ESPCs and UESCs to fund major portions of TEAM Initiative.

The federal government is largest single user of energy in the United States, and DOE is the second largest energy consumer of all civilian federal agencies. The Department’s facilities comprise of approximately 110 million square feet, and include more than 14,000 vehicles in its fleet. DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program provides support for federal agencies to save energy, as well as improve facilities through ESPCs and UESCs. Since 2001, ESPCs and UESCs enabled through DOE programs have financed over $851 million in energy improvements at federal facilities.