# Presentation: 168556

## Energy Management in Arlington County, Virginia:An essential part of our CO2 reduction efforts

- John Morrill, CEM
- Energy Manager
- Arlington County OSS
- 1400 N. Uhle St. #403
- Arlington, VA 22201
- jmorri2@co.arlington.va.us
- 703-228-4426

## SUMMARY	

- Very large energy and $ savings can be found in many buildings.  Much of these savings can be gained at low cost (O&M!), thereby demonstrating results that attract additional $ for investment.
- Significant (10-30%) reductions in CO2 are reasonable targets for local governments over a 10-year horizon, achievable through increased efficiency & use of alternate fuel.

## ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

- Geographically, smallest County in USA (26 square miles), located across the Potomac River from Washington DC
- Urban (190,000 residents), with population density similar to Seattle, Pittsburgh
- Affluent, progressive community with many active *green* initiatives

## ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

- 1970s, 1980s: Adopted award-winning transit-oriented development plan, concentrating urban growth along METRO corridors while preserving neighborhoods (“smart growth” before it was a buzzword)
- 1980s-present: Established award-winning commuter assistance program, expanding   its services frequently to meet demand and assist local/regional clean air goals

## ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

- 1990s:   Joined EPA’s Green Lights/Energy Star® programs
- 2000:   First-of-kind bonus density incentive program for private development achieving LEEDTM silver certification
- County has adopted LEED as a goal for public buildings, with 7 buildings under construction or in design to meet LEED certification
- 2000:   Energy manager hired

## ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

- 2001:   Joined ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection campaign
- 2002:   Began using B20 biodiesel; took delivery of 15 more hybrid-electric Prius sedans, bringing total in fleet to 25
- 2002:   Joined DOE’s Rebuild America program, aiming for more outreach activities
- 2002:   Joined EPA’s Green Power Partnership, pledging to acquire 3% of our electricity from clean, renewable sources

## “ENERGY MANAGEMENT 101”

- Collect building energy use data, establish baseline of consumption for each facility
- Review existing energy-related practices, policies, technologies
- Walk-through audits and immediate changes to O&M where feasible
- More detailed survey of high-cost, high-energy facilities

## Slide 8

## “ENERGY MANAGEMENT 101”You may have a problematic building if...

- its electricity consumption is pretty constant, month-to-month, season-to-season...
- its natural gas use for heating was the same over a very mild winter as it was over a very cold winter...

## “ENERGY MANAGEMENT 101”

- Utility bill analysis can reveal rate savings
- Bottom-up approach to buildings retrofits:
**operation and maintenance**
**insulation  (!)**
**lighting**
**motors, appliances**
**central heating & cooling systems**

## “ENERGY MANAGEMENT 101”

- Preparation of overall strategic plan
- Make investment in energy-efficient technology the norm (developing environmentally-preferable purchasing policy)
- Keep eyes open for policy opportunities
- Useful synergies with other stakeholders, especially with co-benefits of efficiency
- Share lessons learned

## Slide 12

## Where we are headed?Reasonable targets for 2010?

- 20-25% increase in _efficiency_ in buildings, partially offset by growth in facilities, services
- 80% reduction in energy use by traffic signals, partially offset by increasing number of streetlights
- 10-30% increase in fleet fuel economy, with potential changes in VMT and fleet size
- Water treatment plant efficiency gains vs. increasingly-stringent effluent standards

## ELECTRICITY

- Electricity is ~57% of the county government’s energy use, on a Btu basis
- Electricity is responsible for ~80% of our CO2 burden
- Electric service ~83% of our energy costs

## RESULTS: Central Library, 161,000 sf                   (includes a 70,000 sf garage) 

- Renovated and doubled in size in 1992, electric bill ~$135,000/yr
- Basic O&M improvements key
- troubleshooting HVAC distribution system
- improved scheduling of equipment
- incandescent to compact fluorescent lamp retrofits
- 27% drop in electricity, $20,000/yr savings
- Add’l lighting retrofits to yield more savings

## Slide 16

## RESULTS: All-electric Argus House, 7,200 sf                  (residential facility for teens)

- Built in 1992, electric bill over $15,000/yr
- Basic O&M improvements key
- began preventive maintenance on kitchen equip.
- investigated complaints of poor hot water, solved
- one of three heat pump compressors replaced
- incandescent to compact fluorescent lamp retrofits
- 30% drop in electricity use, $4,500/yr savings
- Add’l lighting retrofits to yield more savings

## Slide 18

## One catch:  growth.To meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, gains in existing buildings must more than offset additional energy uses in new construction.  Not easy, but we can do this

## Slide 20

## Pulling it all together	

- On-going efficiency improvements and alternate energy options available now, will cut our CO2 emissions by ~4% in 2003 compared to 2000, despite growth in services.
- Efficiency improvements, combined with clean electricity and other alternative fuels, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by our county government by 15-40% in 2010, compared to a 2000 baseline.  The pace of adopting renewables is critical.

## Great things we haven’t even touched yet

- Upgrading old, inefficient motors in buildings
- Replacing metal-frame, single-pane windows (difficult to justify on energy costs *alone*, must wait for building renovation)
- Upgrading central chillers and boilers

## CONCLUSIONS	

- Very large energy and $ savings can *still* be found in many buildings.  Much of these savings can be gained immediately, at low cost, thereby demonstrating results that attract additional $ for investment.
- Large (15-40%) reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are reasonable targets for local governments over a 10-year time horizon.  Efficiency + renewables.