The Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Directorate of Public Works is reminding community members to be conscious of their energy consumption during National Energy Awareness Month in October.
DPW is working on a number of projects that will reduce JBM-HH's energy use and move the joint base in a greener direction, said Bill Lucas, energy manager at JBM-HH DPW.
Lucas said the installation of solar panels on buildings 59, 62, 64 and 69 on the Fort McNair portion of the joint base, which has been in the works for months, could result in up to $50,000 in energy savings.
These solar panels will be installed on the roofs of the buildings, generating 500,000 kilowatts of energy savings a year, Lucas said. Once installed, the panels will directly augment the buildings' energy demand and usage.
Lucas said the joint base is currently working with local utility companies in the area to develop plans for the project. The targeted date for the panels to be installed and operational is the end of 2016.
In addition to the new solar panels, DPW is also installing about 400 LED light fixtures in Fort McNair's Building 39, Lucas said. Additionally, the Old Post Chapel on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base is receiving an LED upgrade to the fixtures on the altar, he said.
LED light conversions have already been successfully completed in Conmy Hall and Memorial Chapel on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base, Lucas said. The Conmy Hall conversion, which was completed a few months ago, will save the joint base approximately $182,000 over the next seven years, according to DPW.
The utility energy services contract (UESC) with Washington Gas and Dominion Virginia Power, which will bring new energy efficient pump and fan motors to several Fort Myer buildings and a new heating boiler to Building 59 on Fort McNair, is on schedule to be completed by the end of this year, Lucas said.
The UESC project also includes the repair and adjustment of insufficient HVAC systems in Fort Myer Buildings 400, 414 and 415 in order to reduce energy consumption. The overhaul is expected to save $300,000 a year, according to Lucas.
Lucas said the HVAC equipment had to be brought back up to modern standards.
"We're trying to make the customers happy," he said.
Executive Order 13693, signed by President Barack Obama in March, will also move JBM-HH toward environmental sustainability, Lucas said. The order requires government agencies to reduce energy use by 2.5 percent per year from 2015 to 2025, reducing the federal government's greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 40 percent over the next decade.
Lucas said this new initiative will increase requirements for using renewable energy sources, as well as government operated hybrid vehicles.
And as always, JBM-HH employees should be mindful of what they can do to reduce the base's footprint, Lucas said.
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