by Shane Henson — October 24, 2011—Federal leaders in sustainability were honored recently during the 30th annual Federal Energy and Water Management Awards. These awards, given by the Department of Energy, recognize the commitment by federal agencies to invest in efficiency measures that save money for taxpayers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create a stronger economy for the American people. Winners include employees from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Defense Logistics Agency; the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Homeland Security, Interior, and Veterans Affairs; and the General Services Administration.
This awards program is held each year in October in conjunction with Energy Awareness Month to highlight the critical importance of energy efficiency and renewable resources and federal efforts to lead by example in energy management. Over the past 30 years, winners have saved almost $16 billion and an estimated 770 trillion Btu of energy. This is reportedly enough energy to provide all the energy needs of federal government facilities for two years.
The combined accomplishments of this year’s winners include:
- Saving 250 billion Btu through the installation of renewable energy systems, including solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, and geothermal heat pumps;
- Implementing facility-wide comprehensive changes to operations and maintenance practices, saving 1.5 trillion Btu by upgrading heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, and by installing high efficiency lighting, building materials, and energy management control systems;
- Installing significant water efficiency improvements, saving 3.4 billion gallons of water through high efficiency plumbing fixtures, upgrades to irrigation systems, use of native landscaping, and reuse of reclaimed and recovered groundwater;
- Building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facilities with state-of-the-art technologies and environmentally friendly workspaces; and
- Implementing energy savings performance contracts, utility energy service contracts, and power purchase agreements to fund energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, and greenhouse gas management projects.
- Implementing facility-wide comprehensive changes to operations and maintenance practices, saving 1.5 trillion Btu by upgrading heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, and by installing high efficiency lighting, building materials, and energy management control systems;
