Edison, New Jersey

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

Region 2 Laboratory

Total Facility Area: 281,923 gross square feet (GSF)
Estimated Personnel: 462 persons
Energy Consumption: 35,132,161,746 Btu per year*
Btu per GSF per Year: 124,616
Total Water Consumption: 4,635,356 gallons per year
Gallons per GSF per Year: 16

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2007.
*Note: Energy and water data include energy and water consumed by EPA's onsite Response Engineering and Analytical Contract (REAC) trailer and the Office of Research and Development's Butler facility.

Description

The Edison Complex supports the activities of various EPA organizations, including the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response's Environmental Response Branch, the Office of Research and Development's Release Control Branch, the Regional Environmental Science and Assessment Division, the Regional Enforcement and Compliance Assistance Division's Pesticides and Toxic Substances Programs, and the Regional Emergency and Remedial Response Division's Emergency Preparedness Programs.

2007 Btu Buster Award Winner

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

In FY 2007, the Region 2 Laboratory deactivated several fume hoods and lowered boiler hot water temperatures, resulting in year-end energy savings of 9.8 percent compared to FY 2006.

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 Region 2 Laboratoy in Edison, 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 August 2005, EPA renewed its commitment to supporting green power by entering into a new three-year contract with Select Energy (procured by the Defense Energy Support Center ) to purchase 6 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power annually for its Edison, New Jersey, laboratory in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs). This contract supported the generation of renewable energy from wind farms in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming, and offset 100 percent of the electricity consumption at EPA’s Region 2 Laboratory.
The Region 2 Laboratory has three solar water-heating systems that are the primary source of hot water in their respective facility areas. All three solar water-heating systems consist of a preheat tank (between 66 and 120 gallons) and various numbers of roof-mounted, single-glazed, liquid evacuated tube collectors. Because the building relies on the electrical systems only for auxiliary water heating when necessary, the solar heaters allow the facility to conserve electricity. To date, Edison's solar technology has registered energy savings results significantly higher than expected.
Beginning in September 2003, the Edison, New Jersey, laboratory began receiving approximately 4.5 million kWh per year of green power from biomass and landfill gas. The contract, with Pepco Energy Services , ran through August 2005.

Green Building

In June 2003, EPA completed a sustainable master plan to incorporate energy efficiency and sustainable design issues into the new planned laboratory and the entire Edison campus.

Water Conservation

EPA completed a water conservation assessment and developed a water management plan for the Region 2 Laboratory (PDF) (19 pp, 779K, About PDF) in April 2006.
The laboratory reduced its water intensity by 23.58 percent in FY 2007 compared to FY 2006, saving 1.6 million gallons of water and avoiding $14,917 in water costs. Efficient irrigation and sustainable landscaping are key ways the laboratory has conserved water; in fact, irrigation water use has been largely eliminated at the Edison facility. Irrigated turf accounts for only 0.1 percent of the facility’s grounds.

Stormwater Management

Porous pavement at Edison's Environmental Center for Research and Development helps with ground-water recharge and pollutant removal. For more information, see Stormwater Management at EPA facilities.

Additional Features

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

For More Information

Joseph Pernice (pernice.joseph@epa.gov)
2890 Woodbridge Ave. (MS-100)
Edison, NJ 08837
Phone: (732) 321-4382

Web site: www.epa.gov/region02/desa/lab/