The Headquarters Office of Administration, Office of Logistics and Facility Operations, has several energy saving initiatives in place or in progress at their Headquarters' facilities in the Forrestal Building in Washington, DC, and Germantown Maryland. Many of these inititives are part of their Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC). ESPCs allow Federal agencies to accomplish energy savings projects without up-front capital costs and without special Congressional appropriations. DOE ESPCs help Federal agencies meet energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, and emissions reduction goals by streamlining contract funding for energy management projects. For more information on ESPCs visit the Federal Energy Management Program's (FEMP) web page available through this link.
Note: Emission reduction estimates are measured in MTCO2e, Metric Tonnes (tons) of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent. This is the standard measurement of the amount of CO2 emissions that are reduced or secluded from our environment, the Federal government's standard for measuring greenhouse gas emissions.
CURRENT ENERGY REDUCTION INITIATIVES AT DOE HEADQUARTERS
- Forrestal Canopy LED Lighting Upgrade
- Forrestal Corridor Light Switching
- Forrestal Solar Array
- Steam Trap Replacement
- Forrestal West and South Building Cool Roofs
Forrestal Canopy LED Lighting Upgrade
Completed in October 2010, replaced all 600 light fixtures under the Forrestal Canopy with LED fixtures which reduced energy requirements from 205 watts per fixture to just 23 watts each.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 475,700 KWh
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $56,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 362 MTCO2e
Forrestal Corridor Light Switching
Completed in May 2010, the Forrestal corridor lights have been reconfigured to reduce hallway lighting by two-thirds on nights and weekends (no longer on 24/7.)
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 280,000 KWh
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $33,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 213 MTCO2e
Forrestal Solar Array
Completed in September 2008, the roof-top array consists of a 205 kilowatt main array of crystalline silicon solar panels as well as four small 1 kilowatt arrays that showcase other types of photovoltaic technology. The system generates approximately 224 megawatt hours of electricity each year, and has generated a total of over 715,000 kilowatt hours of electricity since being energized. The system is one of the largest in the washington metropolitan area, uses some of the highest efficiency modules available on the market, and is 40-50 times the size of a typical residential system.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 224,000 KWh
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $26,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 171 MTCO2e
Steam Trap Replacement
Completed in February 2011, repaired or replaced broken or leaking steam traps improving the energy efficiency of our steam distribution system.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 1,820 MBtu of steam
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $77,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 179 MTCO2e
Forrestal West and South Building Cool Roofs
The white membrane reflects energy from the building in the summer, reducing cooling requirements. The roof insulation was also improved to help improve the heating and cooling efficiency.
The West Building cool roof over the cafeteria was completed in December 2010, and the South Building cool roof in December, 2011. The Germantown facility is being replaced with a cool roof expected to be completed by the end of 2012.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 232 MBtu of steam and chilled water
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $7,800
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 17 MTCO2e
UPCOMING ENERGY REDUCTION INITIATIVES AT DOE HEADQUARTERS
Variable Air Volume HVAC Upgrade
Once complete in Spring 2012, this initiative will replace our current constant air HVAC system with a Variable Air Volume System. This will operate more efficiently and improve occupant comfort.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 21,355 MBtu of steam, chilled water and electricity
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $743,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 2,287 MTCO2e
Central Chiller Plant Upgrade
The Forrestal building has many small chillers throughout the building to cool computer and LAN rooms. Once complete in Spring 2012, this project will replace these many small chillers with a centralized, much more efficient plant.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 24,325 MBtu of chilled water and electricity
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $603,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 983 MTCO2e
Germantown Solar Array
A photovoltaic (PV) solar array is scheduled for completion in Summer 2012 at the Germantown Facility. This solar array will consist of 318 kilowatts of ground-mounted PV solar, and 52 kilowatts of carport mounted PV solar over some of the parking spaces, which includes Level 1 & 2 electric car charging stations.
Estimated reduction in energy per year: 458,000 KWh
Estimated reduction in costs per year: $55,000
Estimated reduction in emissions per year: 349 MTCO2e
Last updated 05/02/12