Richmond, California

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power
Water Management Plan
Mechanical Upgrades

Region 9 Laboratory

Total Facility Area: 44,950 gross square feet (GSF)
Estimated Personnel: 44 persons
Energy Consumption: 17,635,356,715 Btu per year
Btu per GSF per Year: 392,333
Total Water Consumption: 165,308 gallons per year
Gallons per GSF per Year: 4

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

Description

The Richmond facility consists of an administration/laboratory building with a separate hazardous materials storage building and secured storage for four mobile laboratories. The building is part of the University of California, Berkeley, Field Station. EPA began laboratory operations in FY 1994. The Region 9 Laboratory performs chemical and biological analysis and field sampling services. The laboratory plays a critical role in EPA's mission of protecting people's health and the environment through the analysis of air, water, soil and biota samples (avian, fish, and occasionally mammalian tissues).

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

In FY 2006, EPA replaced the building's existing mechanical time clock with a more accurate astronomical time clock to enhance the energy efficiency and functionality of the building's outdoor lighting.
Through a series of mechanical upgrades, EPA hoped to reduce electricity demand by approximately 21 percent at the Richmond Laboratory. The project, which was completed in July 2005, included the installation of a natural gas-fired combined heat and power unit for electricity and hot water; replacement of a boiler (two small boilers instead of a single oversized one); and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) controls upgrades. The project became operational in Fall 2005. As of May 2006, the project was not performing as well as anticipated, so EPA initiated a study to determine the cause for the shortfall in anticipated energy savings.
EPA employees at the Richmond laboratory are continuously encouraged to turn off lights and computers when not in use. Learn more about what you can do to save energy and resources at work.

Green Power

In August 2005, the Region 9 Laboratory, working with the Defense Energy Support Center , finalized a three-year contract to offset 100 percent of the laboratory’s annual electricity consumption with green power. The contract with 3 Phases Energy Services provided 1.9 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year in renewable energy certificates (RECs) in support of renewable energy generation at wind farms in Northern and Southern California.
From 1999 to 2001 the Region 9 laboratory received 1.9 million kWh per year in delivered green power from geothermal energy and landfill gas. Then, from 2002 to July 2005, the laboratory contracted for 1.9 million kWh in RECs from a mix of biomass, wind, solar, and small hydropower.

Water Conservation

EPA completed a water conservation assessment and developed a water management plan for the Region 9 Laboratory (PDF) (16 pp, 308K, About PDF) in June 2006.

Other Features

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

For More Information

Jennifer Mann (mann.jennifer@epa.gov)
1337 S. 46th Street
Building 201
Richmond, CA 94804
Phone: (510) 412-2300

Web site: www.epa.gov/region09/lab/index.html