GSA Region 2 Energy Savings Performance Contract

The Challenge

The GSA Region 2 Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) was a multi-year, $114M initiative, to reduce energy and water consumption in 10 buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester, NY. In addition to reducing overall energy and water consumption to help meet the GSA goals and executive mandates, GSA Region 2’s ESPC focused on meeting the following key goals:

• Execute Building Automation System (BAS) improvements for better building-level control and more efficient functionality.
• Improve the operational benefits of the co-generation system at 201 Varick Street Federal Building by utilizing the effluent heat to produce energy savings.
• Execute major mechanical and electrical improvements to support more efficient operations, dependability, and improved occupant comfort levels.

The Solution

The development of the project spanned two+ years and in 2016 the GSA selected Trane as the general contractor to manage and implement 98 energy savings measures that are included in the ESPC. The buildings included contain a total project area of approximately 8,174,094 sf of conditioned space and vary in size from 149,472 sf to 2,852,757 sf and vary in height from eight to 42 stories. The buildings in the ESPC scope of work were occupied throughout design and construction.

The Scope of Work includes the following:

Boiler Plant Improvements

• Install Condensing Boilers—1 building.

Chiller Plant Improvements

• 4 ECMs, 5 buildings

BAS/EMCS

• EMCS Control Strategies, 3 ECMs affecting 10 buildings
• Demand Controlled Ventilation
• Replace Air Compressor, 1 Building

HVAC

• AHU Replacement/Refurbishment, 3 Buildings
• Upgrade/Replace Cooling Tower, 1 Building
• Dynamic Air Filtration, 6 Buildings

Lighting Improvements

• Interior Lighting - Office Areas, Common Areas (Hallways, Lobbies, Elevators), Cellblocks, 5 Buildings
• Exterior Lighting, 5 Buildings

Building Envelope Modifications

• Install Double Pane Interior Windows, 1 Building
• Window Caulking & Sealing, 1 Building

Chilled Water, Hot Water, and Steam Distribution Systems

• Steam Condensate Cooler, 3 Buildings
• Steam Traps - Repair/replace - includes MP/HP Trap monitoring, 4 Buildings + Meter Piping in one building

Variable Frequency Drives

• VFDs on Cooling Tower Fans, 2 Buildings
• Variable CHW/HW Flow, 5 Buildings

Distributed Generation

• CO-GEN Plant Improvements - Improve Operations, Hot Water Heat Recovery, Hot Water Absorbers, 1 Building

Energy/Utility Distribution Systems

• Transformer Upgrades, 6 Buildings

TC-13 Water and Sewer Conservation Systems

• Water / Plumbing Fixtures, 6 Buildings

The Results

The implementation phase of the project was completed in June, 2018. Upon completion, the project saves approximately $7.4 million in taxpayer dollars annually, reduce energy consumption by approximately 30% annually and reduce water consumption by over 24 million gallons per year. To date, the GSA has received $2,233,859 in rebates from Con Edison as a result of the energy conservation measures that were implemented as part of the ESPC.

This project comes with a long term relationship. Trane will be on-site for 18 years after project completion, to work with the GSA maintaining in ECM's and to help ensure that the savings are achieved for the long term.

In January 2018, the GSA received the Presidential Performance Commitment Award at a Counsel on Environmental Quality White House Award ceremony. The Region 2 ESPC was instrumental in enabling the GSA to meet and exceed its energy savings commitment to the White House. This project exemplifies the Federal government’s commitment to sustainability and creating a greener, more efficient federal government.