WASHINGTON DC - Eight U.S. Army units, groups and agencies have been selected to receive the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy and Water Management Awards.
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, under the Federal Energy Management Program, made the announcement today and notified the recipients. The formal award ceremony will be held at the National Archives in Washington D.C. on November 2, 2017.
These awards recognize individuals, groups, and agencies for their outstanding contributions in the areas of energy efficiency, water conservation, and the use of advanced and renewable energy technologies at federal facilities.
The awardees are:
Career Exceptional Service Awards
Paul G. Wirt
U.S. Army Reserve
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Paul Wirt's 24-year career has been shaped by time with the Directorate of Public Works at Fort Bragg, the Army's Installation Management Command, and his current position leading the U.S. Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate's Net Zero Energy, Water, and Waste Programs. In each of these roles, Mr. Wirt promoted a culture that led to impressive energy and water management performance, often far exceeding federal mandates. He consistently pursues a wide spectrum of channels to achieve organizational goals. Mr. Wirt leverages the power of collaboration through strategic partnerships, creating alliances and facilitating relationships that drive critical information exchange. He connects with experts to develop learning opportunities for his team, inspiring them to pursue and apply innovative approaches. Just a few examples of his efforts include developing a building energy monitor program;
Laboratory/Data Center Award
Thomas Abele
Robert D. Dyrdek
John Graffanti
Mark Richerson
Patrick A. Walsh
U.S. Department of the Army
Fort Knox, Kentucky
Through concerted efforts, including the installation of a 600-ton absorption chiller/chilled water pumping system and a 2.05 megawatt combined heat and power (CHP) system, the Army Fort Knox team reduced the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of its Human Resources Command (HRC) Data Center to 1.47 per month in fiscal year 2016. The Department of Public Works Energy Team and HRC personnel at Fort Knox worked diligently over several years to address energy-wasting operational and technical issues to improve the HRC Data Center's PUE from the original 4.0 when the center opened in 2010 to 1.65 by mid-2013. To further reduce the data center's PUE, the team decided to include an existing micro-grid power generation substation that was equipped with CHP capabilities to serve the data center complex. The results of the CHP application, including almost $142,900 in energy savings in fiscal year 2016--a decrease of 35 percent over the base year--as well as the reduction of PUE to less than 1.5, have confirmed the viability for similar CHP applications on Fort Knox and other locations.
Program Awards
Headquarters, U.S. Army Installation Management Command
U.S. Department of the Army
Washington, DC
The outstanding performance of the Energy and Utilities team, Headquarters, U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) has resulted in numerous benefits for IMCOM and the Army. The team's momentum gained leadership support that has led to a refreshed program that establishes clear guidance, goals, and fiscal responsiveness and has brought about cost avoidance in excess of $100M, allowing redistribution to other IMCOM programs critically short of funding. A few of the best practices employed by the team include quarterly teleconferences with all energy managers to collaborate and share lessons learned; development of a Building Energy Monitor Program handbook that incorporates best practices and feedback solicited from garrison energy managers; a central resource efficiency manager program that allows garrisons to receive support; and an annual energy and water action strategy that directs specific actions and energy conservation measures to help garrisons achieve mandated energy and water reduction goals. Under the leadership and direction of the team, IMCOM installations far exceeded their goals by reducing energy consumption by 6.4 percent and potable water consumption by 2.6 percent in fiscal year 2016 from the prior fiscal year while producing almost 2.8 trillion Btu from renewable sources.
Terry Banks
Benjamin McBride
Sergio Sergi
Roderick T. Smith
U.S. Department of the Army
U.S. Army Garrison, Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
With no industrial or commercial operations, power generation facilities, or centralized heating and cooling systems, Fort A.P. Hill's Directorate of Public Works faced the challenge of implementing energy and water saving initiatives throughout a large inventory of small standalone buildings with ever-changing occupants. The team approached this challenge by executing effective improvement projects, proactive building management, and interactive conservation awareness that helped to reduce the site's fiscal year 2016 energy intensity by 23.4 percent from the prior year, resulting in a utility savings of more than $583,000, despite an increase in building square footage of 35 percent. The site's fuel oil use was reduced by 93 percent--almost 50,000 gallons--compared to the prior year, through conversion of fuel oil fired heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems to propane or electric. In addition to savings in energy and maintenance costs, converting fuel oil burning equipment eliminated the need for above and below ground storage tanks, which created environmental concerns due to potential leaks and ground water contamination. More traditional projects included installing an exterior finish and insulation system on almost 100,000 square feet of space; replacing heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and installing high efficient windows.
Jared Corsi
Bryan Morris
Benjamin Spiker
Maria Christina Vicari
Paul G. Wirt
U.S. Department of the Army
U.S. Army Reserve, 9th Mission Support Command
Honolulu, Hawaii
Maui U.S. Army Reserve Center (USARC) will be the first Army site to fully achieve net zero energy in fiscal year 2017, already showing a 36 percent decrease in energy consumption and a 46 percent decrease in water consumption between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2016. Maui is one of 10 pilot net zero Army Reserve sites, selected through a nomination and screening process in 2013 to receive a net zero energy, water, and waste assessment. Its net zero assessment was completed in 2014 identifying more than $1.3 million in energy and water projects at the site. The 9th Mission Support Command then implemented major upgrades to lighting; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; plumbing; and domestic hot water that reduced energy use by 25 percent from the fiscal year 2013 baseline, with power from a 99-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array allowing the site to achieve 100 percent savings. Water efficiency measures resulted in 77 percent savings from the baseline, with an irrigation controls project achieving 60 percent water savings within one year. Successful practices from Maui's pilot program are being implemented reserve-wide, such as the building energy monitor program, the enterprise building control system program, rainwater harvesting pilot projects, and recycling surveys.
Muhammed A. Bari
Sandra Key
Scott Taylor
Christopher Woodruff
U.S. Department of the Army
Installation Management Command - National Training Center
Fort Irwin, California
The National Training Center-Fort Irwin (NTC-FI), located in the Mojave Desert of Southern California, is comprised of more than 775,000 acres of training space with a population ranging from 16,000-26,000 personnel. The installation receives an average of only 4.2 inches of rainfall annually and is dependent upon ground water or recycled water to support its training mission and the surrounding auxiliary community. In fiscal year 2016 NTC-FI's active water conservation program reduced fresh water usage by 67.7 million gallons compared to fiscal year 2015--a savings of 10 percent in one year--and by almost 182 million gallons from the fiscal year 2007 baseline. This remarkable savings required a combination of initiatives, including a first of its kind mock billing of housing residents for water, which reduced housing demand by 26 percent from the prior year and saved $100,000. Other projects included active irrigation management; the replacement of ground source heat pumps with air-to-air heat pumps; and the decommissioning the associated cooling loop, equipment, and underground storage tank. The water conservation program allowed NTC-FI to meet all goals and requirements driven by California's drought, while extending the viable life of this desert Fort by five years.
Project Awards
CW3 Michael R. Brotherton
U.S. Department of the Army
U.S. Army Central Command
Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Brotherton completed a project in fiscal year 2016 that reduces the "logistical tail" through the use of photovoltaic solar light carts (PSLC) to replace diesel light towers. An important Army goal is to reduce the amount of logistics and support personnel necessary ("tail") in proportion to combat personnel ("tooth") without reducing combat effectiveness. The PSLC can be transported by air, provides a minimum of 72 hours of run time without the sun, and contains a weatherproof electrical outlet, quick charger, and dual USB charging ports so troops may charge their hand-held or other portable devices. The first completed phase of 250 PSLCs (of the 1,907 planned) is saving $6.6 million, 63,000 overall man-hours, and 1.5 million gallons of fuel annually, for a project payback of only one year. Savings are due to drastically decreased maintenance as compared to the diesel generators, as troops must visit the PSLCs only once every two weeks to clean the solar panels, and no oil changes are required. This project has set the standard across the U.S. Army Central Command area of operations and has been promoted as a success story to other military services.
Dan Finklea
Gary George
Tom Harris
Jay H. Tulley
John Wallingford
U.S. Department of the Army
U.S. Army Garrison, Presidio of Monterey, California
The Presidio of Monterey's completed three projects in fiscal year 2016 that contribute to an estimated 37 percent in annual energy savings and more than $600,000 in energy, water and maintenance costs. The Presidio's 365,000 square foot Building 4385 complex is the installation's largest facility and highest energy user, housing administrative offices and a large data center. In 2012, Building 4385 consumed 19 percent of the Garrison's energy--costing $1.2 million--and almost 7 million gallons of water. The Presidio began plans that year to reduce both energy and water through a multi-pronged approach, including installation of a grid-connected one megawatt solar array designed to produce 1,600 megawatt-hours annually and a xeriscaping project that converted three acres of turf to drought resistant landscaping and a passively irrigated field. The Presidio also implemented an energy retrofit through a utility energy service contract, which replaced building lighting; refurbished heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; and improved the data center' power usage effectiveness by 33 percent by reconfiguring servers and power distribution units, and installing a new hot-aisle containment system, lighting, and computer room air-conditioners.
Social Sharing