Sustainable Facilities Tool General Services Administration

432 Compliant Facility Audits - B. Gustafson, Jan. 2016

Brad Gustafson of DOE Federal Energy Management Program describes how energy auditing is done across the federal government with varying levels of success in complying with Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) Section 432. Given the requirements for remote audits in E.O. 13693 (Section 3(a)(i)(A)), he asks if there is interest in developing a standardized approach to federal energy audits, including remote audits, in order to improve compliance and success.

Building Glass and Lighting Impacts and Solutions - L. Kordella and E. Kershner, Mar. 2015

Offers behavioral, immediate low-cost and long-term solutions to prevent bird deaths caused by reflective building windows.

Circadian Light for Your Health – B. Steverson, March 2017

GSA’s Bryan Steverson explains the importance of daylight for human health, highlighting some preliminary results from a GSA study on deploying desktop LEDs that can mimic natural daylight. Some advice from Brian and his colleagues for overcoming circadian disruption: “Get Light. Mostly Daylight. Morning Best!
For more information, visit the GSA Circadian Lighting Research page.

Deep Energy Savings Using ESPCs - M. Gartman, M. Jungclaus, and K. Porst, Sept. 2015

Builds on the July 2015 report Deep Energy Retrofits Using Energy Savings Performance Contracts: Success Stories, co-released by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and GSA. Michael Gartman and Matt Jungclaus of RMI join Kinga Porst of GSA to discuss GSA's National Deep Energy Retrofit program, best practices, keys to success, and case studies. To learn more, visit the RMI webpage, "Federal Deep Energy Retrofits." And stay tuned for an upcoming, more detailed webinar on this topic from RMI/GSA.

Energy Master Planning for Community Resilience – A. Zhivov, December 2018

Dr. Alexander Zhivov of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers explains how energy master planning can make campuses and communities more resilient to major energy disruptions, with case studies from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Gram, Denmark. For more information, visit the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy in Buildings and Communities Program (EBC) Annex 73 website and view these U.S. Army Corps presentations from the 2016 and 2017 Energy Exchange conferences.

Every Drop Counts: Maximizing Your Agency’s Water Savings with WaterSense Tools and Resources – T. O’Hare, May 2018

Tara O’Hare of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gives an update on the WaterSense program’s current tools and resources. New offerings include the WaterSense Commercial Facility Leaks Checklist and guides for drip irrigation. For more information, visit the EPA’s “Best Management Practices” website for commercial buildings.

Indoor Water Conservation – D. Horn, Mar. 2016

Don Horn of GSA’s Office for Federal Building Health and Performance introduces viewers to an annotated, interactive PDF guide and quiz for water efficiency measures and lessons learned for indoor water conservation. Viewers are also encouraged to visit the extensive water-related resources at SFTool.gov.

Influence of Occupancy on Building Energy Use and Use of an Occupancy-Adjusted Performance Metric – A. Selvacanabady, January 2017

PNNL’s Abinesh Selvacanabady describes the findings of a report—co-authored with the lab’s Kathleen Judd—that analyzed the correlation between occupancy and energy use intensity (EUI) in the GSA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and GSA Byron Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Denver, CO.
For more information, contact Abinesh Selvacanabady.

Interior Lighting Campaign – M. Myer, March 2017

Michael Myer of Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) describes this national program, with a goal to document high-efficiency retrofits of 1 million troffers by April 2017. The campaign met its goal three months early. Also covered in this presentation are case studies of some of the impressive lighting projects that counted toward that 1-million-troffer goal, as well as the new PNNL certificate series on Advanced Lighting Systems available to federal agencies.
For more information, visit the Campaign’s Web site.

Mastering Campus Sustainability Management: Tools for Success – N. Baker, K. Fowler, O. VanGeet, and J. Maestas, September 2016

Led by Nic Baker, DOE-FEMP’s Large Campus Innovative Change (LCIC) Team explores why the federal government could benefit from a shifting its sustainability focus to the site- or campus-level. A FEMP analysis of EISA reporting data, for example, indicates that the top 450 energy-using federal campuses account for roughly 75% of all federal energy use. LCIC team members Kim Fowler of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Otto VanGeet of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and Jesse Maestas of Verus Resource Management provide a wide-ranging overview of this topic. Included in the presentation are best practices for campus-level sustainability, a particular focus on energy management, and an exploration of the financing options available to agencies doing energy projects.
Useful links for further information:
Resources from LCIC team’s pre-conference workshop at Energy Exchange 2016: http://energy.gov/eere/femp/downloads/mastering-campus-energy-and-water-management-tools-success-presentations-and.
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global District Energy in Cities Initiative: http://www.districtenergyinitiative.org/

Overview of the BTO Cybersecurity Related Buildings Project – J. Hagerman, January 2017

Joe Hagerman of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) gives an overview of the DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO) interactions with building owners and operators relating to cybersecurity. He describes lessons learned from pilot projects using the PNNL Buildings Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (B-C2M2). Finally, PNNL’s George Hernandez adds a brief look at VOLTTRON, the lab’s “application platform…for distributed sensing/control applications” that provides secure communication capability.
For more information:
PNNL B-C2M2, at https://bc2m2.pnnl.gov
Buildings-Grid Integration: VOLTTRON^TM: http://bgintegration.pnnl.gov/volttron.asp

Overview of WaterSense Resources – V. Blette, Mar. 2016

Veronica Blette of EPA WaterSense describes the many resources available to federal facility water managers, from WaterSense and beyond. Among the topics covered are flushometer-valve toilets, commercial and institutional water best management practices, and drought maps. Veronica also lists upcoming joint WaterSense and ENERGY STAR webinars in 2016.

Sustainability Success at the Provo Area Office – J. Kresge and C. Southworth, March 2017

Josh Kresge and Cary Southworth of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Provo (UT) Area Office take viewers on a guided tour of how their team transformed the facility and its grounds into a 2016 FEMP Energy and Water Management Award-winning case study.
For more information:
Reclamation Provo Area Office homepage.
Case study YouTube video.
2016 FEMP Energy and Water Management Award Winners site.

Army Net Zero Initiative - K.Kingery Jul 2014

An overview of the Army's net zero pilot program and installations. Learn more about the Army's net zero program and read the Army's Sustainability Report.

DEA's EPIC Solar Project – M. Sandler, February 2020

Mike Sandler, Energy Program Manager at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), presents a case study of the 2.47-megawatt DC solar photovoltaics (PV) system at the agency’s El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) in Texas. He describes how DEA used an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) energy sales agreement (ESA) project structure for the solar array, utilizing funds from a U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program (DOE-FEMP) AFFECT Grant. The solar array is expected to generate approximately 80 percent of EPIC’s electricity. 
For more information, see the EPIC ESPC ESA case study document on the FEMP website; the ESPC ENABLE Program and ESPC ESA home pages; and the full list of 2019 FEMP Energy and Water Management Award Winners.

Dyess AFB Energy Program – T. Denslow, Jan. 2018

Tom Denslow, Energy Manager at Dyess Air Force Base, describes how the base achieved impressive energy and water savings, earning it a FEMP Federal Energy and Water Management Award. Strategies included using a $75 million, multi-phase utility energy service contract (UESC), employing energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs), and installing ice storage capabilities.

Emerging Technologies: GSA’s Proving Ground and Pilot to Portfolio Programs – K. Powell, May 2018

Kevin Powell, director of GSA’s Office of Emerging Technologies, discusses the GSA Proving Ground and Pilot to Portfolio programs that “enable GSA to make sound investment decisions in next generation building technologies based on their real world performance.” He describes two standout technologies in more detail: High-R, low-e window retrofit panels; and magnetic levitation (maglev) chiller compressors. For more information, see the GSA Emerging Technologies website.

Evaluation of GSA Total Estimated Cost Impact (TECI) Metrics and Building Benchmarking – V. Loftness, October 2020

Professor Vivian Loftness of Carnegie Mellon University presented her team’s research findings from an analysis of GSA’s smart buildings program, called GSALink. Installed in a growing list of GSA buildings, GSALink notifies building managers with “Sparks,” or real-time alerts about suboptimal operation of major building equipment. For a 60-building portfolio in GSALink, the CMU study estimated annual cost savings of $7 million in energy, $4 million in maintenance, and $6 million in societal benefits. For more information on the research that Prof. Loftness and colleagues are doing, visit the CMU Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics (CBPD) https://soa.cmu.edu/cbpd.

GSA Advanced Metering - ION EEM Status FY2015 - B. Wright, Jan. 2016

GSA Public Building Service's Brian Wright describes how remote energy audits from First Fuel Analytics help GSA reduce its energy consumption.

GSA’s Total Workplace Program - C.Hardy Jan 2015

GSA's office makeover to reduce energy, space, and rent while increasing workplace collaboration. Learn more at GSA's Total Workplace.

GSA's Sustainable Buildings Study Using Whole-System Thinking - JParisi, Nov. 2012

A detailed study of building operational costs, including externalities, and what measures can reduce those costs.

ISWG REopt Tool: Overseas Buildings Operations – T. Evans and D. Shaffer, Dec. 2017

Todd Evans and David Shaffer of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) share how they utilize NREL’s Renewable Energy Integration & Optimization (REopt) model to evaluate and prioritize solar photovoltaics projects at State locations around the world.
For more information on REopt, visit the REopt and REopt Lite Web Tool webpages at NREL. You can also download an overview of REopt and REopt Lite here.

Net Zero Partnerships - A. Morgan, July 2015

"Net Zero Partnerships: Promoting Sustainability and Resiliency Through Net Zero Technology and Approaches." How the EPA works with other agencies, such as the Army, to advance Net Zero Energy, Water, and Waste initiatives. For more information, visit the EPA Web page, Promoting Sustainability through Net Zero Strategies.

NIST Gaithersburg’s Approach to a Solar PV Array Project – J. Bollinger, June 2020

In this case study presentation, John Bollinger of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) explains how NIST developed an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) ENABLE energy sales agreement (ESA) task order award for a 5-megawatt solar photovoltaics (PV) array at its Gaithersburg, MD, campus.

For more information, see the NIST ESA case study/fact sheet; the Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) ESA website; and the ESPC ENABLE website.

Recent Sustainability Successes for Veterans Affairs – A. Gilani, April 2020

Asad Gilani, Portfolio Manager at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Energy Management Program, gives a run-down of sustainability progress at the agency, including significant energy and water savings and renewables growth even as hospital visits have grown. For more information, visit  https://www.energy.va.gov/.

Reclamation's Commissioning Initiative – Results and Best Practices - K. Whitford & P. Dawson - Nov. 2015

Kerry Whitford and Patrick Dawson of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, present agency-wide training on Reclamation's Commissioning Initiative. Includes case studies of the Carl Hayden Visitor Center in Page, AZ; and the Folsom Civil Maintenance Facility in Folsom, CA.

The Impact of High-Performance Buildings – D. Horn, July 2018

Don Horn of GSA’s Office of Federal High-Performance Buildings summarizes the findings of GSA’s study of sustainable design in federal facilities, posted June 2018. This report compares FY 2015 – 2017 data for 100 high-performance federal buildings—those that meet the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings—to legacy federal building stock for which comparable data were available. It finds that high-performance buildings outperformed legacy stock in energy and water use, building operating expenses, landfilled waste, and overall tenant satisfaction. For more information, visit the report website: https://www.gsa.gov/impacthp

USDA: Sustainable Buildings – CBroad, Sep. 2013

A look at how USDA is incorporating sustainability into their buildings.

Better Buildings Federal Award 2012 Winner: Reclamation's Desalination Facility - RShaw, SHolland, updated May 2015

The Better Buildings Federal Award (BBFA) is awarded to the federal building that achieves the greatest percentage of energy intensity savings for a given year. The 2012 winner was the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility. This presentation looks at how the Bureau of Reclamation achieved an impressive 53.6% reduction in building energy intensity over its September 2011 baseline for this facility.

Case Study: NASA/Clark Energy Group JPL ESPC Contract – R. DeVelle and S. Rigdon, May 2017

Bob DeVelle and Steve Rigdon of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / CalTech describe the comprehensive energy savings performance contract (ESPC) at JPL that involved 120 buildings and will save nearly $1.2 million annually in energy costs.*
*This PDF contains speaker notes. Slides that include notes have a small icon at their top left. To view the notes, hover your cursor over the icon.
For more information, visit the 2016 FEMP Energy and Water Management Award Winners site and the NASA JPL web page.

Case Study: New U.S. Courthouse, Los Angeles, California – D. Allen, May 2018

Duane Allen of GSA’s Pacific Rim Region describes this AIA Top Ten award-winning design-build project in L.A., including its innovative "serrated façade” that cuts the solar heat gain of the building by nearly half. The building is on track to meet and even beat its aggressive target for energy use intensity. For more information, visit the 2018 AIA/COTE Top Ten website.

Data Center Efficiency: Partnering with DOE - S.Keppler, updated Mar. 2015

An overview of DOE's Better Buildings Challenge to increase energy efficiency of data centers. Learn more at the Data Center Challenge Website.

Greening a Leased Office - L. Dawson, Nov. 2015

Liz Dawson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes how her team worked with GSA and the building owner to implement a number of energy and water conservation measures at the FWS Northeast Regional Office Building in Hadley, MA. This retrofit earned the Hadley FWS team a 2015 Federal Energy and Water Management Award. 

GSA and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): Deep Energy Retrofits - C.Carmichael, V.Olgyay Mar. 2014

An introduction to RMI and their energy efficiency work, looking at deep energy retrofits achieving at least 50% energy savings. Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Institute.

GSA Case Study: U.S. Land Port of Entry, Columbus, NM – E. Richter and D. Richter, December 2020

Elizabeth Chu Richter and David Richter describe how their firm, Richter Architects, designed and delivered an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten award-winning expansion of the U.S. Land Port of Entry in Columbus, NM. Indirect overhead daylighting, rooftop solar photovoltaics, grassland restoration, and water harvesting to reduce irrigation in the desert environment are some of the design features that helped earn the project LEED Platinum certification.

For more information, see the AIA COTE Top Ten Showcase page for the Columbus LPOE project.

GSA's Demonstration Project: EPA Denver Headquarters - J.Heerwagen Jul 2013

A close look at a high performance green building, concentrating on the building/occupant interface.

High-Performance Building Design and Case Studies - RCheng, updated Apr. 2015

A comprehensive look at high performance building design and project delivery including three case studies: the Wayne Aspinall Federal Building & Courthouse, the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building and the Federal Center South Building.

NASA Ames Sustainability Base - SDianati, Nov. 2012

A close look at NASA's Sustainability Base building, a 50,000 sq. ft. high performance office building. Visit NASA's Sustainability Base webpage to learn more.

Reclamation's Commissioning Initiative – Results and Best Practices - K. Whitford & P. Dawson - Nov. 2015

Kerry Whitford and Patrick Dawson of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, present agency-wide training on Reclamation's Commissioning Initiative. Includes case studies of the Carl Hayden Visitor Center in Page, AZ; and the Folsom Civil Maintenance Facility in Folsom, CA.

USACE Seattle Headquarters – RThomas, Mar. 2013

An in-depth look at the Federal Center South Building 1202, a high performance green building.

WELL Designed – Case Study: ASID Corporate Headquarters – Dr. S. Chung, Oct. 2017

Dr. Susan Chung of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) explains how her organization’s headquarters became the world’s first space to earn platinum certification in both the WELL and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) systems. ASID continues to track wellness indicators at its headquarters over time to assess progress and determine areas that need improvement. For more information, visit the ASID website.

Zero-Net Energy Building Examples and Statistics – C. Higgins, updated Feb. 2015

A look at zero-net energy buildings across the nation by number, type, size and ownership. Read the National Institute of Building Science article based on this data.

Laboratory Ventilation Management Program – O. Van Geet and T. Smith, March 2019

Otto Van Geet of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Tom Smith of 3Flow introduce the concept of a Smart Labs Ventilation Management Program. Labs that optimize ventilation and exhaust systems can create safer, more efficient workplaces, realizing significant energy savings in the process.

Liquid in the Rack: Liquid Cooling Your Data Centers – D. Sartor and O. Van Geet, March 2019

Dale Sartor of Laurence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Otto Van Geet of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provide an introduction to utilizing liquid cooling technologies to cool data centers, as well as an NREL case study showcasing the results of deploying such technologies at the lab’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) in Golden, CO.

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Center of Expertise for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers, hosted by LBNL at https://datacenters.lbl.gov/; and visit the ESIF page on NREL’s website, at https://www.nrel.gov/esif/.

Solar Decathlon 2020 Briefing – H. Carr, May 2019

Holly Carr of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) provides an update on recent changes to the Solar Decathlon program and previews upcoming events culminating in the next Solar Decathlon National Showcase, to be held in June and July 2020 in Washington, DC. For more information, visit the DOE Solar Decathlon site: https://www.solardecathlon.gov/. 

Solar PV in Severe Weather Locations: How Design, Construction and O&M Can Improve Survivability – G. Robinson and A. Walker, September 2018

Gerald Robinson of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Andy Walker of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discuss lessons learned and best practices for mitigating damage to solar photovoltaics (PV) systems, both before and after severe weather events. The slide deck provides a number of resources for more information, among them the FEMP fact sheet “Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Hurricanes and Other Severe Weather” and the Rocky Mountain Institute’s report Solar Under Storm: Designing Hurricane-Resilient PV Systems.