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Energy Savings Performance Contracting

Before I left more than two weeks ago on personal travel, I was informed of the Department of Energy Review Board's approval for SLAC to begin a Detailed Energy Survey. The survey is part of the Super Energy Savings Performance Contracting process, or ESPC, administered by the Federal Energy Management Program. Simply put, ESPC is a way of paying for energy savings projects with the dollars they save.

This past year, SLAC Facilities, together with the Stanford Site Office, have been working to identify energy conservation measures to help achieve the energy and water reduction goals set forth by Secretary Bodman’s Transformative Energy Action Management Initiative, DOE Order 430.2B and Executive Order 13423. As part of the approved energy survey, SLAC will be studying nine areas of potential savings, including lighting systems and controls, hot water system boiler controls, chilled water distribution and pumping controls, low-conductivity water distribution and pumping, water efficient fixtures, as well as building-specific advanced metering. Other areas SLAC will study as we go through this process are: environmental control systems re-commissioning, HVAC duct sealing, and renewable energy systems such as photo-voltaic, solar thermal and daylighting controls.

Every ESPC project has a contractor who secures financing and performs the work required to design, engineer and construct the energy conservation measures. Energy Saving Contractors, or ESCOs as they are called, are pre-approved for each region by the DOE. SLAC has decided to move forward with the survey process using the company NORESCO, which is also supporting the Lawrence Berkeley and Idaho National labs in their energy and water conservation efforts.

NORESCO will be on site beginning the week of September 8th to begin the energy and water reduction survey work. The NORESCO consultants are here to help us; please assist them in their endeavors. The help you provide will, over time, enhance resource efficiencies here at SLAC. Please call me if you have any questions or concerns (x2897).

It’s good to be back.

—John Steward
  SLAC Today, August 20, 2008