https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Some ways government building managers can save energy

Some ways government building managers can save energy

Govpro.com talked with the Alliance to Save Energy's vice president of programs, Jeffrey Harris, about strategies and resources government facility managers can use to reduce building energy consumption.
  • Written by Michael Keating (michael.keating@penton.com)
  • 10th March 2010

Govpro.com talked with the Alliance to Save Energy‘s vice president of programs, Jeffrey Harris, about strategies and resources government facility managers can use to reduce building energy consumption.

Govpro.com: What are some ways that government buildings can be made more energy-efficient?

Jeffrey Harris: One area of opportunity, and it’s true for new construction as well as existing buildings, is in quality assurance and building commissioning. Facility managers want to make sure that the building, as it is constructed and as it’s operated, matches the design intent and the engineering of the systems. Often, things happen during the installation and startup process, so building commissioning has become a very important element of what federal and other government agencies do to manage energy. Building commissioning can also apply to existing buildings, through re-commissioning a building that’s been in place for a while.

Govpro.com: How would the ASE define building commissioning in government facilities?

JH: Building commissioning really means setting the structure back on the right track so that the controls and sensors are calibrated and the software is operating correctly, and that the agency fixes or somehow offsets all of the things that tend to happen on a day-to-day basis in operating a building.

Here are a few examples of what can happen: Some piece of software or hardware breaks, and someone figures a way to rig up a temporary solution, which of course stays forever as long as it is working. Or somebody’s cold because of an imbalance or a poorly functioning Variable Air Volume (VAV) box, and so they crawl up on their desk and tape over a vent. So, all of this stuff tends to happen over time, and the agency ends up with buildings operating really out of whack from the way they were designed — and that’s what commissioning is about. It refers to getting systems operating efficiently again.

Govpro.com: What about energy quick-fixes in government facilities?

JH: For even shorter-term improvement — one is training and generally improving the skills of the government workforce or of the contract workforce, if there are outsourced operations.

Accompanying that would be better data through metering that is required now for more federal buildings, including sub-metering and smart meters, and the tracking of energy use and benchmarking energy use against other comparable buildings, whether there are other, similar buildings in the same agency, or maybe comparable private sector buildings, if they exist.

And that strategy can apply to state and local government facilities, also. One of the more common tools now for benchmarking, not the only one, but a very common one is the Energy Star portfolio manager. There are very good Web pages that Energy Star has put together about the number of states and localities that are benchmarking their buildings. In a few cases, there’s some customization of that tool, with different benchmarks of buildings to compare to. States like California and Massachusetts, recently, and New York City, for example, all now have policy requirements that call for public buildings to have energy ratings that are disclosed to potential buyers or tenants.

Govpro.com: Do you have any advice for state and local government facilities managers and administrators regarding opportunities in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) stimulus funding mechanism for making their facilities more energy efficient?

JH: There are lots of dollars that local and state governments now have to spend through ARRA funds on energy efficiency. Virtually every state has programs now focused on public buildings and energy efficiency. So, either the state Web site or the DOE’s ARRA site has that kind of information. Parts of the www.energy.gov/recovery site relate to state and local governments. There’s a map on the site, and you click on individual states for a description of what Recovery Act funds are available for energy purposes, as well as information and announcements for the different programs under way. It’s a good source to get started with.

Govpro.com: What other resources are out there on this topic for government building managers?

JH: The ASE is participating in a project that has some efforts under way called the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium. We are one of the co-organizers of this consortium, which was authorized in the 2007 energy legislation. Government buildings are absolutely part of the mix at that site.

  • Read our full report on the ASE’s support of the Obama administration’s energy budget proposals.
Tags: Administration News Public Works & Utilities Smart Cities & Technology

Related


  • D.C. police begin identifying Capitol rioters
    Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to identify the supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “MPD seeks assistance in identifying persons of interest responsible for Unlawful Entry offenses that occurred yesterday on US Capitol Grounds, 100 block of 1st […]
  • In challenging year, working with public safety to move FirstNet forward
    It has been a challenging year for the nation, especially for the first responders who are on the front lines of wildfires, hurricanes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. During this historic year, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) remained committed as ever to helping first responders save lives and protect communities. As part of our […]
  • Report: Many governments facing revenue shortfalls due to COVID-19
    A new survey of local governments reveals that 68 percent of responding governments see moderate, significant or major financial adjustments as being needed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The State of Local Government Survey, released by cloud ERP software provider OpenGov in December, reveals the gaps that 501 local governments have found across their […]
  • Biden Administration – Projected 25x greater Investment in smart cities
    This is one in a series of primers from the Smart Cities Council about how your community can ‘bounce back’ from your current situation during the Biden Administration. In this article we recommend that – It is ‘smart,’ to read what happened with the Obama Administration to understand the Biden Administration. It is ‘smart,’ to […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Florida county announces successful test of Motorola Solutions’ cloud-based P25 core technology
  • How the City of Fullerton navigated adding candidates to ballots remotely
  • Shared governance: How pandemic partnerships can lead to progress and offer promise
  • How 2020 accelerated government reliance on new sources of economic data analytics

White papers


How a unified HR system helps one public safety organization manage crews, payroll, and more in a single platform

7th January 2021

Your Roadmap to COVID-19 Funding

18th December 2020

The One Where Everyone Wins: A Mutually Beneficial Contracting Method

10th December 2020
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X