Narragansett, Rhode Island

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power
Water Management Plan
Mechanical Upgrades
Re-commissioned
Native Landscaping

Atlantic Ecology Division Laboratory

Total Facility Area: 89,922 gross square feet (GSF)
Estimated Personnel: 135 persons
Energy Consumption: 24,871,757,391 Btu per year
Btu per GSF per Year: 276,593
Total Water Consumption: 2,633,143 gallons per year
Gallons per GSF per Year: 29

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2007.

Description

The Narragansett laboratory is a state-of-the-art aquatic research facility for EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory under the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The mission of the Atlantic Ecology Division at Narragansett is to develop and evaluate theory, methods, and data to better understand and quantify the environmental effects of stressors on the coastal waters and watershed of the Atlantic seaboard. In an effort to reduce its own environmental impact, a Conceptual Sustainable Site Master Plan was developed for the facility.

2007 H2Overachiever Honorable Mention Award Winner

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

Mechanical upgrades completed in July 2004 at the laboratory have increased the energy and water efficiency of the facility's chilled water system. The upgrades were designed to: improve the entire chilled and condenser water system to allow for variable flow; reintegrate an existing small, air-cooled chiller into the primary chilled water loop to allow the large water-cooled chiller to be shut down when it is more efficient to run the small air-cooled chiller; and upgrade the building controls for the chilled water system. Compared to FY 2003, the laboratory has realized reductions in energy consumption of nearly 10 percent.
To improve the energy-efficiency of the building's lighting systems, in April 2007, EPA completed the installation of motion sensor controls for more than 1,150 lights and lighting systems, which resulted in a 30 percent reduction in reduced exterior lighting.

Green Power

In FY 2008, EPA continued to support the renewable energy market by purchasing green power through two separate Agencywide blanket contracts for a combined total of 380 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy certificates (RECs), or “green tags,” from Sterling Planet , Luminant Energy Company , and FPL Energy . These purchases will allow EPA to offset 100 percent of electricity consumption for FY 2008 and the first half of FY 2009 at the Narragansett laboratory, as well as many other EPA facilities across the Agency. Procured through the Defense Energy Support Center, these contracts support renewable energy generation from wind and biomass resources in nine states.
In March 2005, EPA entered into a three-year contract (procured by the Defense Energy Support Center ), with 3 Phases Energy Services , to purchase approximately 3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power annually in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs). This contract supported the generation of renewable energy from wind farms in California and Minnesota. The purchase offset 100 percent of the electricity consumption at the Narragansett laboratory.
From October 2003 to July 2005, EPA purchased a biodiesel fuel mix for use in the main heating boilers of its Narragansett laboratory. World Energy Alternatives of Chelsea, Massachusetts, supplied the fuel, which consisted of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent traditional fuel oil. The cleaner burning biodiesel portion of the fuel mix was derived from soybean oil, which made it biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Throughout the contract, the Narragansett laboratory consumed 300,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel. The laboratory has discontinued the use of biodiesel, however, because of rising fuel costs.

Water Conservation

Installation of a compressed air delivery system was completed in October 2006. In FY 2007, following the installation of this system, Narragansett reduced water consumption by 33 percent compared to FY 2006. The system eliminated once-through cooling water and also added fully automatic control, 100 percent back-up capacity, and reserve capacity for future expansion.
In FY 2007, EPA completed the design of a replacement project that would convert 5,000 square feet of the existing roof into a vegetated green roof. The vegetation on the roof will help to alleviate the heat island effect and aid in stormwater mitigation.
As part of its sustainable master plan, EPA reduced lawn mowing areas surrounding the Narragansett facility and replaced vegetation with native, non-invasive plant species that encourage healthy foliage growth.
As a result of sanitary fixture upgrades completed in July 2004, the laboratory has saved nearly 350,000 gallons of water each year for a cost savings of approximately $760 per year. Learn more about these upgrades in the Sanitary Fixture Upgrades at EPA's NHEERL Facility Case Study (PDF) (2 pp, 481K, About PDF).
EPA completed a water management plan for the laboratory (PDF) (22 pp, 200K, About PDF) in October 2003.

Stormwater Management

The laboratory installed a green roof to mitigate stormwater runoff. The roof helps filter pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorous from the rainwater through bioremediation and phytoremediation. As the vegetation grows, it not only provides greater aesthetic appeal, but also greater absorption during rain events. In addition, the green roof could drain excess water to rain barrels or cisterns, allowing the facility to reuse it.

Other Features

All of the facility's chlorofluorocarbons were replaced by 1998.

For More Information

Russell Ahlgren (ahlgren.russell@epa.gov)
27 Tarzwell Drive
Narragansett, RI 02882
Phone: (401) 782-3080
Fax: (401) 782-3030

Web site: www.epa.gov/aed