Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power

National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)

Total Facility Area: 83,503 gross square feet (GSF)
Estimated Personnel: 107 persons
Energy Consumption: 51,611,895,400 Btu per year
Btu Per GSF per Year: 618,084
Total Water Consumption: 6,674,120 gallons per year
Gallons per GSF per year: 80

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

Description

This facility is the Office of Research and Development's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) headquarters. The building houses EPA's Reproductive Toxicology Division (RTD), which brings together an unparalleled combination of expertise to study the health effects of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, air and drinking-water pollutants, and hazardous wastes on all stages of the life cycle.

In addition to this facility, EPA occupies several other buildings in the Research Triangle Park area, including:

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

In FY 2006, the facility reduced energy use by six percent compared to FY 2005 after replacing its cooling towers and resetting temperature set points.
In Fall 2003, EPA completed an energy audit for NHEERL, which included recommendations to recommission the building.

Green Power

On November 1, 2004, EPA entered into a three-year agreement with Unicoi Energy Services, to purchase 100 million kilowatt hours of green power annually in the form of renewable energy certificates. The contract helps support the generation of biomass power from paper pulp facilities in Port Wentworth, Georgia. The purchase offsets 100 percent of the electricity consumption at all of EPA's RTP facilities, including NHEERL.

Water Conservation

NHEERL replaced its cooling towers in FY 2006, which helped reduce overall water consumption by two million gallons compared to FY 2005.

For More Information

Steve VanHorn (vanhorn.steve@epa.gov)
U.S. EPA
Mail Code: C604-02
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Phone: (919) 541-5446

Web site: www.epa.gov/nheerl/