United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Administration and Resources Management's Newsletter on Energy Conservation
and Sustainable Facilities
October 2006
The Laboratories for the 21st
Century (Labsll) 2006
Annual Conference is fast
approaching! Don't miss your
chance to be a part of this
month's exciting event, which
will bring more than 600 lab-
oratory designers, engineers,
and facility managers from
around the world to San
Antonio, Texas, October
17-19, 2006.
Online registration for the
conference is now available
through the Labs21 Web site
at or contact Justin Spenillo at
(202) 564-0639 or spenillo.justin@epa.gov.
-------
ENERGIZING EPA October 2006 | page 2
EPA Takes Energy Efficiency to New Heights in RTF
Py working together to optimize
building performance at its facili-
ties in Research Triangle Park
(RTP), North Carolina, EPA Headquarters
and laboratory staff have found several
ways to significantly reduce energy use
at one of the Agency's largest laborato-
ries, helping to meet new federal
requirements for energy reduction in the
Energy Policy Act of 2005.
EPA's main facility at its RTP campus,
with more than one million square feet
of laboratory and office space, accounts
for nearly one-third of the Agency's
overall annual energy use. Over the past
three years, a team of EPA employees
from RTP and Headquarters has been
developing and implementing extensive
recommissioning projects to improve
the performance and efficiency of critical
building control systems. In fiscal year
(FY) 2005, their efforts helped reduce
annual energy use by 7 percent com-
pared to FY 2004; an additional reduc-
tion of up to 8 percent is expected in FY
2006 with the completion of several key
projects.
In FY 2003, EPA began exploring
opportunities to optimize building per-
formance at RTP. A joint RTP-Headquar-
ters team initiated the Laboratory
Controls Optimization Project (LCOP)
and Vivarium Controls Optimization Pro-
ject (VCOP) to reduce energy use by
minimizing air flow during both occu-
pied and unoccupied periods, while
ensuring performance and employee
safety. For both projects, the
team measured baseline air
flow, then performed addi-
tional tests to determine the
optimal range for ventilation
controls when laboratories
are occupied or unoccupied.
Based on the results, the
team adjusted and fine-
tuned air flow set points,
and assessed the impacts of
these changes on the heat-
ing, ventilation, and air con-
ditioning system. In doing so, the team
was able to develop, verify, and imple-
ment plans to save energy and ensure
safe ventilation in each of the laboratory
units, animal suites, and building corri-
dors and atriums.
LCOP and VCOP also created an
opportunity for additional energy sav-
ings by reducing demands on the facili-
ty's air handling units (AHUs). The team
implemented a Static Pressure Optimiza-
tion and Reduction Test (SPORT) to opti-
mize the number of AHUs needed to
supply a minimum "static pressure"for
each of the laboratories. With reduced
operation of AHUs, EPA expects to
reduce the facility's overall energy use
by an additional 2 percent in FY 2006
compared to the FY 2004 baseline.
Due in large part to the dedicated
efforts of the RTP-Headquarters team,
recommissioning projects have vastly
enhanced building performance and are
expected to reduce annual energy con-
Energy Use at RTP New Main facility
*->
CO
c
.0
375-
_ _^_ Annualized Energy FY 2006
B*1111*111111111^^^^ Consumption Energy Goal
N"^vv
*^s^
'
4Q04 1QOS 2QOS 3Q OS 4Q OS 1Q06 2Q 06 3Q 06
Energy Consumption Annualized
Each Quarter
sumption by up to 17 percent compared
to the FY 2004 baseline.
The projects will have several other
long-term impacts, such as extending
the life of the HVAC system and estab-
lishing standard procedures for efficient
system operation and preventative
maintenance, as well as providing EPA
substantial utility cost savings, resulting
in a payback period of approximately
two years.
"The success of LCOP, VCOP, and
SPORT reflect the significant time, effort,
and resources EPA has invested into
improving energy efficiency and provid-
ing safe work environments,"said Dan
Amon of EPA's Sustainable Facilities Prac-
tices Branch. "Based on this success,
these projects will now serve as models
for future efforts to increase energy effi-
ciency and ensure employee comfort
and safety at other EPA facilities."
For more information, contact Dan
Amon at .
New Energy Metering System Tracks Savings
EPA recently installed a new online
energy and water metering system for
RTP's main facility and National Com-
puter Center. With real-time metered
data at their fingertips, RTP's facilities
staff will be able to more effectively
monitor and manage energy and
water consumption at these two
facilities. Experience with this system
will also provide EPA with information
to install similar metering capabilities
at its other laboratories across the
country, as the Agency works to meet
federal advanced metering require-
ments established by the Energy
Policy Act of 2005.
-------
ENERGIZING EPA October 2006 | page 3
NVFEL Achieves International EMS Certification
EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel
Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, has
become the second EPA laboratory to
have its environmental management
system (EMS) certified to the ISO 14001
standard.
ISO 14001 specifies an internationally
recognized "best practice"framework for
developing an EMS. Under the frame-
work, each organization identifies those
aspects of its business that impact the
environment, develops objectives and a
management program for improving
performance, and subjects the system to
regular monitoring and review, with an
eye towards achieving continual
improvement. While many federal facili-
ties (including 34 EPA facilities) have
implemented EMSs in accordance with
Executive Order 13148, relatively few
have taken the additional step (and
incurred the cost) of subjecting the sys-
tem to a review from an accredited ISO
14001 registration auditor.
The key advocate for ISO 14001 regis-
tration was Christopher Grundler, Deputy
Director, EPA Office of Transportation and
Air Quality. "We value
innovation in all
aspects of our work,
from establishing
national emission
standards to develop-
ing clean automotive
technologies and
state-of-the-art mea-
surement protocols,"
Grundler said. "This
value applies to how
we manage our oper-
ations as well, and
achieving ISO certifi-
cation was a natural fit for us."
NVFEL first self-declared its EMS to be
in place in August 2005, well in advance
of the December, 31, 2005 deadline
required under Executive Order 13148.
The laboratory then began the process
of preparing for an ISO 14001 certifica-
tion in January 2006. The facility sought
out this voluntary, third-party certifica-
tion as a means of demonstrating its
commitment to continual improvement
and to lead by example. The effort was
strongly supported and encouraged by
NVFEL Revisits ESPC
NVFEL established EPA's first energy
savings performance contract (ESPC),
an innovative way to upgrade its
mechanical systems by financing
them with utility savings. Since the
start of the contract in April 2001,
NVFEL has been able to cut its energy
profile in half and reduce its water
use by 73 percent (from baseline val-
ues).
However, since 2005, workload
changes and additions to the facility
have degraded energy performance.
Based on recent energy audits initia-
ted in response to this issue, NVFEL
developed a new list of areas for
improvement that includes installing
a cogeneration system and high-effi-
ciency chiller, reducing the fixture
density of hallway lighting, and
reducing the air exchange rates in the
laboratories. The contracted energy
services company is considering
incorporating requirements for these
improvements into the original con-
tract. "The laboratories here were
built in the late 1960s," said Steven
Dorer, NVFEL facility manager. "The
ESPC has allowed us to upgrade the
facility while achieving financial and
environmental benefits."
all levels of NVFEL's staff, from office
management to laboratory technicians.
According to Ruth Schenk, the facility's
EMS coordinator, "The people here at
[NVFEL] want to participate. They are
generously offering suggestions and
developing new programs that strength-
en and support the EMS."
NVFEL primarily functions as a fuel
and emissions testing laboratory for
mobile sources. For that reason, the EMS
focused on five significant environmen-
tal aspects: 1) air emissions from testing
and facility operations; 2) accidental
releases and spills; 3) chemical use
throughout the lab; 4) consumption of
natural resources; and 5) waste reduc-
tion. Some of the facility's accomplish-
ments in the past year include:
• Selling or recycling 425 computer
units through the Recycling Electron-
ics and Asset Disposition (READ) pro-
gram. (See March 2006 Energizing EPA.)
• Switching to reusable absorbents for
laboratory cleaning and spills, pre-
venting more than 2,200 pounds from
entering the waste stream annually.
• Moving to filtered solvent for its auto-
motive parts cleaners, reducing the
amount of solvent needed for each
cleaner by more than 40 gallons each
year.
For more information on NVFEL, con-
tact Steven Dorer, facility manager, at
(734) 214-4200 or .
-------
ENERGIZING EPA October 2006 | page 4
Safeguarding EPA Assets With Electronics Stewardship
As technology advances, more elec-
tronics are used and discarded,
posing complex energy efficiency
and environmentally responsible disposal
challenges. This article kicks off a series of
articles in Energizing EPA that will discuss
EPA's role in the lifecycle of electronics,
including the roles of property officers, the
Tools for Schools program, and other
important programs dedicated to the chal-
lenges of electronics purchase, reuse, and
recycling.
To ensure the reuse, recycling, and
proper disposal of electronics, as well as
safeguarding Agency assets, EPA uses a
thorough personal property manage-
ment process. The Property Manage-
ment Program (PMP), which tracks
accountable and sensitive property such
as computers, printers, and office equip-
ment throughout its lifecycle at the
Agency, plays a key role in implementing
the Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC),
which promotes environmental steward-
ship in federal electronics purchase, use,
and disposal.
EPA recently signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with several
other federal agencies titled Promoting
Sustainable Environmental Stewardship of
Federal Electronic Assets. The PMP plays
an important role in implementing this
MOU and the Federal Electronics Chal-
lenge. To implement the MOU and the
FEC, the Agency is looking to all employ-
ees to help minimize the environmental
impact of electronics at every lifecycle
stage—including purchase, use, and
end-of-life management.
"Ensuring accountability to safeguard
EPA's assets will promote an effective
and efficient personal property manage-
ment program," said Brenda Bell, the
Agency's Property Management Officer.
"It also results in cost savings through-
out the property's life cycle, from acqui-
sition to disposal."
Personal property, also known as
"moveable assets,"is a broad category
that covers nearly every item EPA pur-
chases or leases except real property
(and low cost items such as office sup-
plies). Personal property also includes
"sensitive items"that are tracked regard-
less of price, such as computers, laptops,
BlackBerries, and cell phones purchased
by EPA for business use by employees. A
listing of all the sensitive items can be
found on the property Web site at
.
The PMP focuses on ensuring the
proper use, tracking, and disposal of this
property. The program relies on the par-
ticipation of the Property Management
Team, including custodial officers in
every "accountable area" as well as EPA
employees. For those items purchased
on a purchase card and delivered direct-
ly to cardholders, it's important to keep
custodial and property officer informed
of the purchase, including sensitive
items.
As part of EPA's commitment to the
environment, the PMP works to promote
maximum usage from EPA's assets. The
Agency is working on a plan to increase
the "refresh cycle"of replacing electronic
equipment to every four years, instead
of every three years. Once EPA employ-
ees reach maximum usage of their per-
sonal property, it may only be disposed
of through one of the following meth-
ods:
• Transferred to the General Services
Administration (GSA) "exchange
sales"as surplus property.
EPA's Electronic
Stewardship Activities
Purchasing
Reuse
Recycling
Proper Disposal
Awareness
• Donated through the Computers for
Learning Program (CFL).
• Reused, manufactured, recycled, or
disposed of properly under the Recy-
cling Electronics and Assets Disposi-
tion services contract (READ, see the
March 2005 issue of Energizing EPA).
To facilitate reuse, recycling, and
proper disposal of electronics, either at
maximum usage or due to other circum-
stances such as an office move, EPA
employees should be aware of their
responsibilities in the property manage-
ment process. Employees should give
their custodial officers a list of comput-
ers and equipment along with the seri-
al/ID numbers, location of the items,
and the condition of the item. The elec-
tronic equipment will be inspected and
assigned a disposal code, depending on
its condition, to determine whether the
computer goes to GSA, CFL, or READ. In
the first stage of the move from three
EPA buildings in the Crystal City area of
Northern Virginia to a new office build-
ing, for example, 60 computers were
donated to CFL and 350 to 400 comput-
ers were handled under the READ ser-
vice contract.
For more information on the PMP,
visit or contact Brenda Bell in the Facili-
ties Management and Services Division
at (202) 564-4830. To learn more about
the Federal Electronics Challenge, visit
.
-------
ENERGIZING EPA October 2006 | page 5
Award Winners Update
Energy Upgrades at Chelmsford Lab Yield Big Savings
Energy use dropped by 11 per-
cent from fiscal year (FY) 2004 to
FY 2005 at EPA's New England
Regional Laboratory (NERL) in Chelms-
ford, Massachusetts. And it's due in large
part to the dedicated efforts of NERL
Facility Manager Bob Beane and his staff
to enhance the energy efficiency of the
building's heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system.
Due to inefficient heating coils in
perimeter offices, ice formed on the
inside of windows at the NERL facility
during winter 2004, making it difficult to
maintain comfortable temperatures in
those spaces. Areas adjacent to these
offices had to compensate with higher
temperature set points, which disrupted
the HVAC balance and caused the sys-
tem to use more energy. In April 2004,
NERL began working with the building
owner to design 23 fan-powered
perimeter air terminals, which NERL
NERL Facility Manager
Bob Beane.
installed in October
2004. The fans enhanced
heat distribution in the
perimeter offices, im-
proving both tempera-
ture control and energy
efficiency.
During this upgrade,
NERL also connected
the primary office HVAC
system to several rooms
that were previously
heated and cooled by less-efficient indi-
vidual HVAC units. Beane and NERL facili-
ty management staff continued to
monitor building performance through-
out FY 2005, finding additional opportu-
nities to improve energy efficiency.
During a routine operations and mainte-
nance audit in February 2005, NERL dis-
covered that its gas boilers were wasting
energy by operating more pumps and
motors than required to meet the build-
ing's heating demand. NERL
found that defective sensors
were to blame and replaced
them to increase system effi-
ciency. In June 2005, Beane
began working with new
onsite management to moni-
tor HVAC performance on a
daily basis and make adjust-
ments to system set points
according to outdoor air tem-
peratures—actions that will
continue to improve efficiency and save
energy.
Beane recently received EPA's Btu
Buster Award in recognition of these
efforts to improve energy efficiency at
NERL, where energy use decreased from
25.2 billion British thermal units (BBtus)
in FY 2004 to 22.3 BBtus in FY 2005. For a
complete list of EPA Btu Buster Award
winners, visit .
Co-sponsor Helps Build Foundation, Future for Labsll Program
Laboratories for the 21 st Century,
or Labs21, has become a sustain-
able resource for laboratory pro-
fessionals worldwide. In 2005, to help
the program, its conference, and other
education programs reach their full
potential, EPA and the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) solicited involvement
from a nonprofit organization that could
increase the program's effectiveness,
expand its reach, provide resources,
increase public awareness, and help to
ensure the program's continued success.
In February 2006, the two agencies
named the International Institute for Sus-
tainable Laboratories (I2SL) as the Labs21
cosponsor. I2SL is a non-profit foundation
with a mission to develop worldwide
partnerships that promote sustainable
laboratory design, engineering, and
operational practices, and to address the
rapid pace of science, medicine, research,
and development in an ever-changing
and dynamic world. I2SL is coordinating
key components of the 2006 conference
in San Antonio, Texas, including registra-
tion, pre- and post-conference work-
shops and symposia, evening tours,
sponsorship opportunities, and the Tech-
nology and Services Fair.
As for the program itself, EPA, DOE,
and I2SL hope to broaden and strength-
en Labs21—without additional resource
requirements from the federal govern-
ment—by focusing on additional issues
relevant to laboratory and high-tech
facility sustainability and performance.
In particular, I2SL plans to help EPA and
DOE explore the role of renewable ener-
gy in building design and how opera-
tions and maintenance could potentially
augment existing energy savings. Begin-
ning with its strategic partners in Cana-
da, Austria, and several others in the
European Union, I2SL hopes to gain
momentum for Labs21 within the inter-
national laboratory community, learning
what other countries are doing to pro-
mote laboratory sustainability and shar-
ing information with them.
For more information on I2SL and the
conference co-sponsorship, visit the
organization's Web site at
or .
-------
ENERGIZING EPA October 2006 | page 6
EPA Headquarters and Regional
Offices Boost Recycling Efforts
Across the country, EPA's regional
offices are implementing innova-
tive ideas to encourage and
increase office recycling.
Region 1 is making every page count
with its paper reduction campaign. In
addition to encouraging duplex copying
and printing, the Boston office has
installed computer software that allows
paper-free faxing. The computer program
converts incoming faxes to electronic files
that can be received and viewed as e-mail
attachments. The software also allows
employees to send faxes directly from
their computers. The Region 1 office is
using "eScan"copy machines, which allow
employees to scan paper documents and
distribute them electronically via e-mail
instead of making hard copies. Facility
Manager Dave Austin noted that he is
encouraged by the success of the paper
usage reduction programs.
At the Region 4 offices, all refrigerators
made prior to 1993 have been replaced
with more efficient ENERGY STAR® appli-
ances. ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators
require approximately half the amount of
energy as older models by using high effi-
ciency compressors, improved insulation,
and more precise temperature and defrost
mechanisms. To date, eight of the replaced
refrigerators have been recycled, and
eight more were given away for reuse—
two to the building's Health Clinic. To recy-
cle the refrigerators, Gary Hosmer, of the
Office of Policy and Management, rented a
truck and delivered the appliances to a
local recycler, where approximately 98
percent of the materials were recovered,
including metal, glass, plastic, and oil. In
addition, hazardous materials such as mer-
cury and PCBs were properly disposed.
Taking a different approach to keeping
paper out of the waste stream, Region 5 is
promoting a completely closed-loop
paper recycling system. With an aggres-
sive goal of increasing recycling by 200
percent, the regional office is teaming up
with the General Services Administration
in the Metcalfe Federal Building in Chica-
go to collect office paper that is then recy-
cled into tissue and towels used in Region
5 facilities. The paper recycling program
has expanded from solely the EPA office to
the entire building, thanks to its coordina-
tor and creator Rich Hoffman. Hoffman,
Region 5's recycling coordinator who
recently won EPA's Pollution Prevention
(P2) award for his efforts, stresses the
importance of including other tenants
when implementing recycling programs.
In addition to his work with the closed-
loop system, Hoffman has instituted a
recycling orientation program for new
employees.
EPA's Region 6 office in Dallas, Texas, is
home to the "Bulb Eater," a machine that
crushes used fluorescent light bulbs and
safely removes all of the mercury gas con-
tained inside. Crescent Real Estate, the
Region 6 building owner, collects all of the
bulbs used in the building. The Bulb Eater
crushes them while activated carbon fil-
ters capture and neutralize the potentially
harmful mercury gas and vapors inside.
This process reduces the bulbs to clean,
crushed glass ready to be recycled. The
crushed bulbs are then stored in 55-gallon
drums and shipped to a recycling facility
in Florida. Region 6's facility manager, Lisa
Bokun, praised the recycling system, not-
ing that she looks forward to working in
cooperation with the environmental man-
agement system (EMS) team to seek out
new opportunities to improve office recy-
cling in Region 6.
Through these efforts and many oth-
ers, EPA's regional offices are leading the
way with their environmentally conscien-
tious ideas and serve as noteworthy mod-
els for other offices across the country. For
more information on EPA's recycling best
practices, contact Gail Wray at (202) 564-
7683.
Events Not to Miss!
Labs21 2006 Annual Confer-
ence
October 17-19, 2006
San Antonio, Texas
For more information, visit
.
National Recycling Coalition
Annual Congress
October 22-26, 2006
Atlanta, Georgia
For more information, visit
.
Advanced Facilities Engineer-
ing Conference
November 8-9, 2006
Denver, Colorado
For more information, visit
.
Brownfields 2006
November 13-15, 2006
Boston, Massachusetts
For more information, visit
.
Contact Us
For more information about
Energizing EPA or the activities of
EPA's Sustainable Facilities
Practices Branch in the Facilities
Management and Services
Division, please contact:
Marjorie Buchanan
E-mail:
buchanan.marjorie@epa.gov
Phone: (202) 564-8206
Website:
www.epa.gov/greeningepa
------- |