Departmental
Administration (DA)
has been busy reducing
energy consumption,
waste, and environmental
burdens. Last year
Boyd Rutherford, Assistant
Secretary for Administration,
formed the Sustainable
Operations Council,
to address the growing
demands for sustainability.
In addition to the
council, DA formed
the Headquarters Green
Team to work with
USDA employees to
make the complex more
sustainable. You've
probably noticed many
of the operational
changes we've made
to reduce energy consumption
and costs throughout
the complex. Some
of those changes are
replacing incandescent
light bulbs with compact
fluorescents and installing
vending misers and
daylight harvesters.
There are many more
"behind the scenes"
projects underway
that you may not be
aware of. Read on
to find out more...
Forest Service Donates
BigBelly
Last
fall, USDA's Forest
Service graciously
donated three BigBelly
solar powered
trash compactors for
placement around Headquarters
buildings where visitor
traffic is high. They
help reduce the frequency
of trash pickups from
public areas around
the buildings and
use clean renewable
solar energy to power
the compaction process.
The frequency of trash
pickups has decreased
and our recycling
rates have significantly
increased over previous
years. Operations
staff love them; there
are no rodent surprises
when they empty the
bags! The BigBelly
units also have a
poster frame which
allows us to post
environmental messages.
Office of Operations signs UESC with
Washington Gas
Last
October, Departmental
Administration, Office
of Operations (OO)
entered into a Utility
Energy Services Contract
(UESC) with Washington
Gas Energy Services.
This contract allows
us to permit the utility
company to arrange
for financing to cover
the capital costs
of energy conservation
measures. The utility
is then repaid over
the term of the contract
from the cost savings
generated by the energy
conservation measures.
With this arrangement,
we can implement energy
improvements with
no initial capital
investment. Because
of the escalating
utility costs, many
energy conservation
projects have become
economically viable.
OO and Washington
Gas have already identified
several improvements
we are considering
to implement. These
include:
lighting
efficiency upgrades,
water conserving
appliances and fixtures,
building weatherization,
Heating Ventilation
and Air Conditioning
upgrades,
chiller plant upgrades
mechanical and electrical
upgrades
summer boiler
fuel cells, and
solar power
Once
implemented, most
of these of these
changes won't be obvious
to employees who work
in the Headquarters
Complex, but the savings
will be significant.
For
example, we currently
use $45,000 per month
to provide steam to
the
South Building
kitchen
during the summer.
The cost is very high
because the central
heating system that
provides steam in
the summer was designed
to heat the building
and it is oversized
to feed only the kitchen.
As a result, most
of the steam is wasted
through heat loss.
By installing a small
summer boiler close
to the kitchen, we
can provide steam
at a substantial energy
and cost savings.
Overall, $16 million
in capital improvements
have been identified,
which will result
in an annual savings
of $1.7 million from
our utility budget.
Solar Power for USDA?
Departmental
Administration, Office
of Operations is sponsoring
a study to determine
if we could use a
large photovoltaic
array to provide electricity
to the George
Washington
Carver Center.
Departmental Administration and Agriculture Research
Service are partnering
on this historic undertaking.
If installed, this
solar array will be
among the largest
in the federal government,
and the largest on
federal property in
this region. Solar
power is good for
the environment, reduces
our burden from the
grid system, and reduces
carbon emissions from
power plants.
Increasing Utility Costs We Need Your Help
The following
graphs illustrate
the difficulties we
face managing your
energy needs. You
can see that even
though we have decreased
use, energy costs
have continued to
rise. Over the past
several years, increasing
demands for technology
have placed additional
burdens on our aging
electrical infrastructure.
The Office of Operations
has made significant
impacts in stabilizing
and even reducing
the overall facility
demand for energy
by implementing a
comprehensive energy
conservation strategy.
Many systems are now
at their maximum efficiency
level and require
replacement in order
to achieve additional
energy efficiency.
This is where you,
the building occupants,
can help. Vampire
electric loads from
all kinds of electronic
devices plugged in
overnight, such as
battery chargers,
televisions, and printers
cause a significant
increase in electrical
consumption. We
need your help to
shut these items down
after hours. During
the USDA Unplugged
event we demonstrated
that building occupants
play a crucial role
in energy conservation.
Your habits can affect
our ability to meet
your energy needs.
By shutting down unnecessary
equipment after duty
hours, we can save
enough electricity
to power over 200
homes for a year.
Fuel Cells for Power?
Departmental
Administration is
working jointly with
the U.S. Department
of Energy to explore
and implement fuel
cell technology at
the headquarters complex.
The Office of Operations is hosting talks with DOE and several hydrogen fuel
cell manufacturers
to determine if fuel
cells are a viable
option to reduce electrical
consumption from the
power grid. If installed,
USDA will reduce some
of the increasing
burden placed on the
PJM electrical grid,
which serves 51 million
customers from Delaware,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Kentucky,
Maryland,
Michigan,
New
Jersey, North
Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, Virginia,
West
Virginia, and
the District
of Columbia. This
will have a significant
impact as fuel cells
can produce heat/cooling
and power simultaneously,
reducing costs in
both areas.
Whitten Stairwells Harvest Daylight
Did
you notice that the
lights in the Whitten
Building
are
a little dimmer when
the sun is brighter?
That is because the
stairwells have been
fitted with daylight
harvesters. Daylight
harvesters are a combination
of dimmable ballasts
and light measuring
sensors that work
to reduce the light
level when there is
sufficient sunlight
to light the space.
Daylight harvesting
is a energy saving
way to keep lighting
levels from becoming
too intense on bright
sunny days. Look for
more harvesting technology
in the future.
Is All This Stuff Working?
With
significant reductions
in appropriations
to operate the USDA
headquarters, energy
cost reduction is
critical. Several
Operational changes
have been made to
reduce energy costs
throughout the complex,
such as using only
two of the three elevators
in each wing of the
South Building, shutting
down the escalators,
delamping every other
hallway light, and
reducing the operational
time of the building
systems. Is this having
any effect you ask?
The headquarters electrical
usage for January
through April 2007
was 12,435,000
kilowatt hours compared
to January through
April 2008 with 11,900,000. In the first four months of 2008, we saved over 535,000 kilowatt
hours. According to
the Department of
Energy, the average
house in Washington, D.C. uses 725 kWh monthly. We saved enough energy to power 738 homes in D.C. for
a month.
With your
help, we can continue
to save energy and
reduce our burden
on the environment.
For more information
on how you can help
reduce energy waste,
go to: http://greening.usda.gov/simple_things.htm.
USDA Unplugged was a success
The USDA
Unplugged successfully
demonstrated that
USDA employees, by
shutting down equipment
when they leave for
the day, can significantly
reduce electric use
in the facility. During
October, the green
team hosted 6 Energy
Awareness Tables in
the South, Whitten
and Yates Buildings. Several hundred employees learned about conserving
energy at work and
at home. Your efforts
can continue to help
keep our energy costs
low. Learn more at:
www.greening.usda.gov.
USDA Employees Pledge to Save energy at Home
In
addition saving energy
at work, we have been
encouraging USDA employees
to take home what
they learned at work
about saving energy.
As part of EPA's "Change
a Light, Change the
World Campaign,"over
200 USDA employees
pledged to change
at least one incandescent
light bulb with a
compact fluorescent
light. When all those
light bulbs get replaced,
almost 500,000 kWh
of electricity will
be conserved. One
ton of coal is needed
to produce 2,500 kWh.
So employees' actions
at home can save 200
tons of coal from
being mined. It is
not too late take
the pledge, visit
EnergyStar.gov.
When
you pledge, don't
forget to say you
are with USDA.
EPA Recognizes USDA
as a Green Power Partner
The
Headquarters complex
has been recognized
by the EPA as a Green
Power Partner. The
Headquarters purchases
15% of its total electrical
power through the
GSA Area-wide contract
from renewable sources.
This helps USDA to
achieve the goals
of the Energy Policy
Act of 2005 and Executive
Orders. Headquarters
is responsible for
10 percent of USDA's
total energy use.
See the WhittenBuilding in a Whole New Light!
'Recently,
the Office of Operations
has been replacing
the older, inefficient
incandescent bulbs
in our chandeliers
with energy saving
compact fluorescent
(CFL) light bulbs.
These CFLs provide
a smooth, even light,
while reducing electrical
consumption by over
75%. CFLs last longer
as well, which reduces
maintenance costs
associated with changing
them frequently. Look
up next time you're
in the WhittenBuilding!
Departmental
Administration strives
to make headquarters
facilities the safest,
most efficient in
the Federal government.
With your continued
support, we can achieve
the goals set forth
in recent legislation
and Executive Orders.
Departmental Administration
thanks you for your
participation in headquarters
energy conservation
programs. For questions
about the DA Energy
Program, please visit
the HQ
Green Team website.