Redstone recognized by TVA for energy savings

It takes a lot of energy to run test stands, air condition office buildings, and basically keep the lights on for the thousands of workers and residents on Redstone Arsenal.

That energy costs money, and the Garrison’s Directorate of Public Works has been working to find more resilient and efficient ways of securing and using energy.

Those efforts paid off.

Redstone Arsenal earned two Tennessee Valley Authority EnergyRight Top Performer Awards, a second-place award for total energy savings and a second-place award for total carbon reduction.

“They ‘re basically recognition from TVA for reductions in energy consumption and reduction of carbon emissions on Redstone Arsenal,” Don Henderson, energy manager at Directorate of Public Works, said. “Over the past 15 years TVA has had a program in which they have analysts that will come out and come to us, and they’ll say, hey, what facilities do you see, based on your data, that could use some improvements to save energy? We’ll point them in the direction of whatever needs work. They’ll go out and assess it and they’ll suggest putting in new HVAC, new LED lights, improve the insulation, and so forth to make it operate more efficiently.”

He added that TVA performs the upfront assessment for free and performs the suggested upgrades with no upfront cost to the government.

“Then we essentially get a fixed interest rate at the closeout of construction and then you’re allowed to pay it off over x number of years,” he said.

The program not only makes Redstone Arsenal more efficient, it saves money, according to Henderson.

“Actually, the savings you’re generating are making the payments for you,” he said. “And then, say it takes 10 years to pay off the loan. Well, you put in equipment that’s got a 25-year lifespan, the last 15 years you are writing yourself a check.”

Comparing 2009’s energy usage to 2024’s, the intensity, measured in British Thermal Units, has been cut in half, according to Henderson.

The TVA programs also help to make Redstone Arsenal a more resilient facility now and in the future.

“With energy, the three pillars they hammer in are your resilience, your security, and your affordability,” Henderson said. “And they all kind of play into each other. Every dollar you’re not spending on the power bill is a dollar you can spend adding a generator, improving a power line feed somewhere, or boosting it up for the next generation.”

TVA initially began supplying power to Redstone Arsenal in 1941 as construction began. This was a crucial step in Redstone’s development, as it needed a reliable power source for its operations. At the time, the Army was actively seeking power from TVA dams to meet the needs of the expanding Redstone Arsenal.

In 2021, TVA took over electric, water, and natural gas operations on Redstone Arsenal, according to Huntsville Utilities.

“We kind of look at this award as almost a lifetime achievement award, even though it’s just for 2024,” Henderson said.