by Brianna Crandall — November 26, 2018 — ABM, a US-based international provider of facility solutions, signed contracts in recent weeks designed to save energy and operating costs for the Los Angeles GSA office; five buildings in an Alabama school district; and eight facilities in the City of Fremont, Ohio. The use of financing tools eliminated up-front costs for the projects.
General Services Administration in Los Angeles, CA
ABM also initiated Phase 2B of a multiphase Energy Savings Performance Contract for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in Los Angeles, California. The final phase of ABM’s customized solution is projected to save the GSA more than $21 million in energy and operating costs over a 19-year period. The project is scheduled for completion in July 2019.
Energy and operations savings will be achieved by upgrading to energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, upgrading HVAC infrastructure and controls, and improving building envelopes at five federal high-rise buildings totaling 2.6 million square feet. The primary driver of energy savings is a battery-power storage system that will allow the GSA to participate in multiple Southern California Edison energy conservation programs, while improving energy resilience for critical GSA spaces.
The upgrades are expected to save the GSA nearly $1 million in energy and operating costs in the first year, with the battery system accounting for the majority of the savings. The energy and operating cost savings are anticipated to climb during the life of the program, resulting in more than $21 million in savings.
ABM’s Newsome pointed out:
By leveraging guaranteed energy and operational savings, ABM will help the GSA save funding and participate in California’s Demand Response Program, which will drive a lower electricity rate. These upgrades will not only help the GSA, but the entire area by reducing the impact on the local utility grid.
The project includes upgrades at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, the U.S. Social Security Administration Building, the 300 North Los Angeles (NLA) Building, the Glenn M. Anderson Federal Building, and the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.
The upgraded battery-power storage system allows the GSA to take advantage of local utility programs, including Time of Use Billing, Critical Peak Pricing Incentives and the Demand Response Program. By charging the batteries in the evening when demands on the utility grid are lower, GSA is able to shift a large portion of its energy consumption to hours when electricity rates are reduced. It requires little to no operator input, as automated battery controllers manage charging and discharging the batteries, and handling any utility calls for Demand Response Program actions.
Newsome explained:
This system makes the GSA more resilient, because if there is a power failure, they’ll be able to operate on the battery system for an extended period of time.
The project makes the GSA eligible for the California Public Utilities Commission’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, which provides incentives and rebates for distributed energy-generating or storage systems. More than $1.4 million in Self-Generation Incentive Program incentives are pending the completion of the project.
The GSA’s project was solicited and awarded as a multiple-phase project to allow ABM and GSA to strategically prioritize the most immediate needs. The first phase of the project, which was awarded in October 2013, included chiller plant updates, new equipment, a water-side economizer and advanced controls. It also included demand control ventilation and variable frequency drives.
The second phase focuses on providing a deep energy retrofit for each of the GSA’s five facilities in Los Angeles. It includes replacement and retro-commissioning of heating and cooling equipment with state-of-the-art fan walls and low-load chillers to provide more efficient operation at part load, updated building automation controls to include real time energy regulation and reporting, and upgraded lighting and solar window tinting.
The Measurement and Verification (M&V) report for Phase 1, year 3 was submitted in March 2018, and the guaranteed savings were not only met but exceeded by 22 percent. The M&V report for the first part of Phase 2, year 1 was submitted in March 2018, and the guaranteed savings was not only met, but was exceeded by 12 percent.
ABM’s Energy Savings Performance Contract Program will enable the GSA to make these upgrades without impacting its capital budget.
Highlights of the project include:
- Installing a battery power storage system to allow for participation in Demand Response Program, without sacrificing power usage during peak power periods
- Retrofitting lighting and upgrading lighting controls at the Glenn M. Anderson Federal Building and the Social Security Administration Building
- Upgrading HVAC systems and installing monitoring-based commissioning systems at each facility
- Deep energy retrofit with savings that exceeded 50 percent of the original energy baseline
Schools of Guntersville, AL
ABM initiated an Energy Performance Contracting program for the Schools of Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama. ABM’s customized solution is projected to save the Schools of Guntersville more than $9.3 million in energy and operating costs over a 15-year period, which will help the school system fund the construction of a new high school. The project launched in September 2018 and is scheduled for completion in May 2019.
Energy and operations savings will be achieved by implementing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and control, water system and transformer upgrades at each of the school system’s five facilities. The upgrades are expected to save the Schools of Guntersville more than $500,000 in energy and operating costs in the first year, which will climb during the life of the program, potentially resulting in more than $9.3 million in savings.
According to Mark Newsome, president of ABM Technical Solutions:
ABM’s Energy Performance Contracting program will allow the school system to upgrade each building’s infrastructure, while dedicating funding toward building a new high school. By leveraging guaranteed energy and operational savings, ABM will help the Schools of Guntersville take steps toward addressing infrastructure needs at each of its facilities.
ABM points out that the infrastructure at the Schools of Guntersville facilities is aging and inefficient, or near the end of its lifespan. The project will provide high-efficiency HVAC upgrades and state-of-the-art controls at Guntersville High, Cherokee Elementary, Guntersville Elementary and Guntersville Middle schools, and a rejuvenation of the existing HVAC system, as well as new wifi-enabled thermostats at the Guntersville Board of Education building.
The school system plans to save for the construction of a new Guntersville High School. The current facility, which was built in 1971, faces roofing issues, and is near the end of its lifespan. Along with creating savings through ABM’s Energy Performance Contracting program, school officials are currently working with Guntersville City Council to secure funding for the new school.
ABM’s project also includes a refrigeration management program at each of the schools, which will provide each school with energy-efficient refrigeration systems in the cafeterias. The new program provides school officials with instant updates of any temperature control issues in the refrigeration system.
ABM’s Energy Performance Contracting program will enable the school system to make these upgrades without impacting its capital budget. The program is designed as a financial solution to meet clients’ technical facility needs and sustainability goals. The goal is to drive costs out of a client’s operating budget, allowing savings to be reallocated to fund mission critical facility needs.
As part of the Energy Performance Contracting program, ABM is working with SMALLab Learning to install a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) laboratory at Guntersville Middle School. Schools across Alabama and nationwide are emphasizing the importance of offering STEM programming to students to increase engagement and provide students with an opportunity to learn hands-on lessons in a laboratory setting.
Brett Stanton, Superintendent of the Schools of Guntersville, noted:
ABM’s customized solution for the Schools of Guntersville will allow us to make crucial upgrades to our facilities, which will ultimately impact our students’ by creating a more comfortable learning environment, without affecting our budget. It also provides us the ability to expand learning opportunities at Guntersville Middle School through the new STEM lab. By providing us with reliable facilities and equipment, this solution provides us with the freedom to focus on education more than our infrastructure.
Highlights of the project include:
- Upgrading to high-efficiency HVAC systems, which will be controlled by state-of-the-art controls at Guntersville High, Cherokee Elementary, Guntersville Elementary and Guntersville Middle schools, while rejuvenating the existing HVAC system and installing WiFi-enabled thermostats at the Guntersville Board of Education
- Replacing the roof at Guntersville Elementary School, and upgrading ventilation systems and sealing building envelopes at each facility
- Refrigeration management programs and high-efficiency transformer upgrades will be put in place at each school
- Upgrading water conservation systems at each facility
For a complete listing of the energy-efficiency improvements at the Schools of Guntersville’s facilities, visit the ABM website.
City of Fremont, Ohio
In addition, ABM initiated an Energy Performance Contracting program for the City of Fremont, Ohio. ABM’s customized solution is projected to save the City of Fremont more than $12 million in energy and operating costs over a 15-year period, which the city will utilize to make infrastructure updates. The project launched in August 2018, and is scheduled for completion in July 2019.
Energy and operations savings will be achieved by upgrading city-owned street lights to energy-efficient lighting, retrofitting HVAC units and installing controls at eight of the city’s facilities. It also includes updates to the city’s water metering system, and residential and commercial water meters. The upgrades are expected to save the City of Fremont $740,372 in energy and operating costs in the first year, which will climb during the life of the program, resulting in more than $12 million in savings.
Newsome remarked:
By leveraging guaranteed energy and operational savings, ABM will help the City of Fremont make upgrades that will positively impact its residents and the city’s infrastructure.
The City of Fremont reached out to Campbell, Inc., in Northwood, Ohio, after a boiler and chiller failed at one of its facilities. Campbell, which is part of ABM Franchising Group’s Linc Service franchise network, has provided preventive maintenance programs for several of Fremont’s mechanical systems for two years. Campbell, Inc., approached ABM after city officials expressed interest in an energy performance contracting program.
Bob Eaton, CEO of Campbell, noted:
We told the City of Fremont we could help, and contacted ABM, who we had successfully worked with on another energy performance contracting program several years ago. Campbell is going to be working with ABM on the project as it relates to the city’s mechanical systems and HVAC equipment.
City officials were working on developing a capital improvement plan to handle the expense when they became aware of ABM’s Energy Performance Contracting program. The city and ABM began working together when city officials realized the amount of improvements the Energy Performance Contracting program would allow them to do without upfront costs.
The project includes an investment in upgrading the City of Fremont’s water meters for 5,000 residential and commercial properties, which will eliminate the city’s practice of issuing fluctuating bills based on estimated water readings. The new meters also include automated leak detection, to help the city quickly detect and repair leaks.
ABM’s Energy Performance Contracting Program will enable the city to make these upgrades without impacting its capital budget.
Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez remarked:
ABM’s customized solution for the City of Fremont will allow us to upgrade our existing facilities through energy and operational savings, without committing any additional funding to update the city’s infrastructure for our residents. This will provide the city with funds to positively impact all of our residents.
Highlights of the project include:
- Replacing residential and commercial water meters to eliminate estimated reads, increase longevity and leak detection, reduce maintenance and improve efficiency
- Retrofitting lighting systems to energy-efficient LED lighting in city-owned streetlights, bridge lights and at eight facilities, including Fremont’s recreational center, municipal building, water treatment plant, police station, streets building, parks building, Central Fire Station and Eastside Fire Station
- Replacing or retrofitting HVAC units at six facilities, which will be controlled by state-of-the-art HVAC control systems to maximize energy and operational efficiency
- Upgrading building automation systems at the recreational center, municipal building and police station to increase usability and comfort for employees and occupants, while driving operating savings
- Enhancing facility security by upgrading key-fob access and video monitoring to provide additional safety for occupants
- Upgrading ventilation at each facility by sealing building envelopes and resealing windows to drive energy savings and to increase employee and occupant comfort
For a complete listing of the energy-efficiency improvements at the City of Fremont’s facilities, visit the ABM website.
For more information on ABM’s Energy Performance Contracting Program and other offerings, visit the company’s website. ABM offers a YouTube video on how the company is providing facility and financial solutions to school districts without upfront costs or tax increases.
