GSA Commended by Department of Energy for Leading Role in Energy Management

GSA #9528

October 30, 1998
Contact: April Kaufman
(202) 501-1231

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) this week received four 1998 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards from the U.S. Department of Energy for outstanding work in the areas of energy and water management.

GSA was commended for the new U.S. Courthouse in Boston, the Evo diConcini Courthouse in Tucson, the Claude Pepper Federal Building in Miami, and the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building and Courthouse in Hawaii.

Robert Peck, Commissioner of GSA's Public Buildings Service, said, "GSA's accomplishments in energy and water conservation are critical to our future successes. Our bottom line and our return on investments are important as we strive to provide our customers with the most cost-effective solutions to their real estate needs while helping to improve energy efficiency in buildings."

"The enormous savings of taxpayers' dollars and reduced energy use are not the only reasons for investing in energy efficiency," said Shelley Fidler, Principal Deputy of the White House Climate Change Task Force. "It is simply the best tool we have for reducing the foreign dependence and economic risks that come from over-dependence on fossil fuels. It helps us prevent pollution. And, perhaps most dramatically, we can use these investments as a down payment on beginning to move toward stabilizing our emissions of greenhouse gases - to help us stop climate change."

For the new U.S. Courthouse in Boston, GSA partnered with Boston Edison Company to implement energy saving measures that are projected to save $158,354 and 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. At no cost to the government, Boston Edison installed a thermal ice storage system in the Courthouse, which makes ice at night when energy costs are lower to be used for air-conditioning during the day.

Energy savings at the Evo diConcini Courthouse, currently under construction in Tucson, are projected to be 30 percent and save $139,00 per year. Under a pilot Energy Savings Performance Contract, energy efficient equipment will reduce peak electricity demand from 1,550 kilowatts to 1,179 kilowatts.

GSA improved energy usage at the Claude Pepper Federal Building in Miami by paying for a retrofit out of projected savings from future electric bills. A lighting and chiller retrofit reduced the energy load at the building, and two chillers containing CFCs were replaced by one energy-efficient, CFC-free chiller, reducing energy consumption at the building by 19.4 percent during the first fiscal year alone.

A partnership with Hawaiian Electric Company helped upgrade the Central Cooling Plant at the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building and Courthouse. Over ten months, GSA conserved 1.6 million kilowatt hours and saved $177,628.

Energy conservation in federal buildings and courthouses nationwide has long been a focus of GSA. "Planet GSA," the agency's newly launched environmental initiative, highlights this and other areas in which GSA has a federal responsibility.