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PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — The U.S. Army garrison at Picatinny Arsenal recently received a $1,025,000 energy savings incentive award from the New Jersey Clean Energy Program. Picatinny officials received the payment for the Installation-Phase of the 2-Megawatt Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant project.
Also, in 2022, Picatinny Arsenal received a $347,000 incentive award from the state energy program for implementing two energy conservation measures, or ECMs: LED lighting upgrades and steam pipe insulation replacement. This incentive is from New Jersey Clean Energy’s Large Energy User Program, for which Picatinny Arsenal qualifies for each year because annual total energy costs exceed $5 million.
Funding for the New Jersey Clean Energy Program comes from a 3 percent societal benefits charge that is included in the utility bills of all New Jersey customers. The charge is used solely for programs and services that benefit New Jersey residents, businesses, government entities, educational and non-profits to help them save energy, money and protect the environment.
At Picatinny, the current energy incentives are paying for energy conservation measures across the base. Those measures include lighting efficiency upgrades at 16 buildings, with the upgrade of 5,000 lighting fixtures to LED lighting, and boiler-burner efficiency upgrades at two centralized boilers that provide steam heat to four buildings. The combined estimated annual savings in energy and maintenance costs for these projects is $230,000.
Through continuous participation in the New Jersey Clean Energy Program, these two energy projects are eligible for future energy incentives of approximately $350,000. These incentives will fund new ECM projects for the Army to improve tenant quality of life and provide mission resilience throughout the base.
“Picatinny Arsenal’s persistent participation in the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities arge Energy User Program results in incentive payments help the garrison achieve utility cost containment,” said Picatinny Arsenal Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Alexander Burgos. “By identifying these non-Army funding sources, our Energy Management Team continues to fund projects intended to reduce energy consumption. In addition, our Garrison [Department of Public Works] and tenants are developing increasingly efficient structures, thus conserving Army resources and reducing operating costs.”
To receive incentive payments, the state program for large energy users requires that every energy conservation project must have energy consumption measured before and after the new equipment is installed. This measurement and verification process ensures that the anticipated energy savings are being achieved and that project implementation was done properly.
With more than 500 buildings and a tenant population with many different mission requirements, ECM projects at Picatinny Arsenal are identified and prioritized through building energy audits, which are performed using the Army Comprehensive Energy and Water Evaluation program. The energy conserved when the projects are commissioned immediately translate into avoided utility costs, reducing Army energy bills for decades into the future. These savings are intended to benefit the taxpayers, future stewards and tenants at Picatinny Arsenal.
“The Army Energy Management personnel and leadership at all levels of the Army’s Installation Management Command, Installation Directorate-Sustainment, recognize our collective responsibility to protect service members, families and civilians by adhering to the Army Climate Strategy Goals in reducing pollution, attaining net zero-emissions and considering the implications of climate change,” Burgos said.
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