A second common installation done by an energy contracting company is an upgrade to the ventilation system. Many buildings on U.S. Army and other military bases use single-zoned ventilation systems. That means the system runs at a constant volume, often 24 hours a day. So if there are more people in one area, then the ventilation system runs a higher percentage of the time and exchanges all the air, but if no one is in the area, the ventilation system for that zone will run less because there's less requirement for air from an indoor air quality standpoint. But the main upgrade, the procedure that saves so much money Ormsbee has termed it the cash cow of energy savings, is an upgrade to a facility's lighting system.
Outmoded lighting wastes a lot of money and upgrades are less costly than replacing heating systems.
As a result, lighting projects have a quick payback, much faster than paying back the cost of a new boiler or heating system. Energy Masters uses lighting upgrades to reduce the length of payback time for high-cost items. Together, a boiler and lighting upgrade may equal a 10-year payback, which is a common amount of time for bases to make payments to Energy Masters. Lighting system improvements at the U.S. Coast Guard Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., got under way in January and should be completed by July, according to Davis. When all the energy upgrades at the center being done by Energy Masters are completed, the company will test usage patterns to make sure they meet expectations, he added.