by jbs112409 e3 — December 2, 2009—A California coalition is launching a project that will show “how a group of state buildings, a new and advanced central plant that supplies heating and cooling to all of them, and an innovative utility company can work together to reduce energy consumption and lower our costs,” announced Ron Diedrich, Acting Director of the California Department of General Services.
The State of California is partnering with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in Sacramento’s Smart Grid Stimulus federal grant program. The $127.5 million program is funded by the US Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. DGS is the lead agency managing the program for state office buildings, and the program is designed to explore how to design, run and manage an urban “smart grid” utility system with different types, and sizes, of clients.
Furthering Governor Schwarzenegger’s Green Building Initiative, the state’s portion of the program includes matching funds to add advanced building automation systems to energy efficiency and retrofitting projects already scheduled for a number of state-owned buildings in downtown Sacramento. Smart meters will be installed, as well as software to monitor and manage building energy use.
A crucial component of this project is the state’s recently completed Central Plant. The 78,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-rated facility is the largest of its kind in the western United States and is the main conduit for heating, cooling and providing air control to 23 other state buildings including the Capitol.
The installation of the smart meters enables the Central Plant to communicate with the other state buildings, creating a smart network of buildings all linked into the power grid. During peak demand times, the smart meters give the plant the ability to respond in real time to energy demands either by shedding or generating appropriate energy load independent of the power grid. The meters, in turn, provide SMUD with a more accurate gauge of actual energy use, making future consumption more visible and potentially saving money.
The other partners in the project are California State University, Sacramento, and the Los Rios Community College District.
