United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Administration and
Resource Management
(3204)
EPA202-N-00-001
February 2000
www.epa.gov/consrv-news
mission of the
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is
to protect human
health and to safe-
guard the natural
environment—air,
water, and land—upon
which life depends.
The Greening Continues
This issue of Greening EPA provides you with an update on some big events
from last year and a preview of what is to come in 2000. Take a few
moments and read about the success of the Laboratories for the 21 st
Century conference; the energy savings performance contract in the works
for the Ada, Oklahoma, laboratory; the green power purchase in Golden,
Colorado; the planned installation of a photovoltaic system at Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina; and more.
—Phil Wirdzek, FMSD
New Laboratories Initiative Announced
On September 8,
1999, during the
opening ceremony
of the Laboratories for the
21 st Century (Labs21) con-
ference, Assistant
Administrator Romulo Diaz,
Jr., launched Labs21 as a
new initiative to improve the
environmental performance
of the nation's laboratories.
"Labs21 is no longer just a
conference," he later
explained. "It is now a full-
fledged EPA and Department
of Energy (DOE) initiative.
The opportunities to drasti-
cally improve the environ-
mental performance of our
laboratories are too impor-
tant to discuss just once a
year at a conference. The
Labs21 initiative will allow us
to promote, discuss, and
implement efficiency
improvements on a continu-
ing basis."
Following the announce-
ment, Mr. Diaz chaired an
informal meeting with repre-
sentatives from more than
30 public and private sector
laboratory owners to deter-
mine their interest and to
solicit their input on the
Labs21 approach. He also
explained that the Labs21
initiative is being considered
for participation in EPA's
Project XL initiative, which
could provide private sector
companies, universities, and
hospitals with regulatory
relief for improving their
environmental performance
through participation in
Labs21. Naturally, the pri-
vate sector companies were
very interested.
As currently envisioned,
Labs21 will focus on the fol-
lowing activities:
• Create a national data-
base of current environ-
mental practices,
including energy and
water consumption data
continued on page 3
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GREENING EPA
page
Labs21 Conference Is a Huge Success
Approximately 200
participants attended
the Laboratories for
the 21st Century (Labs21)
conference held September
8 to 10, 1999, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
More than 40 speakers dis-
cussed topics ranging from
new laboratory designs,
financing building retrofits,
improving fume hood and
other HVAC systems, and
incorporating renewable
energy options. Attendees
learned a wide variety of
ways to improve the envi-
ronmental performance of
existing and future facilities.
Throughout the confer-
ence, speakers and partici-
pants emphasized that the
technologies being dis-
cussed for improving energy
and water efficiency and the
strategies for implementing
them have been proven and
tested. Dale Sartor, a speak-
er from Lawrence Berkeley
Labs, for example,
described variable air vo -
ume (VAV) fume hoods as a
"brand new, innovative, 1 7-
year-old technology." As he
explained it, VAV and other
energy-efficient technologies
have been proven effective,
but facilities have been slow
to embrace them.
Frank Kutlak, a speaker
from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), explained
why others are slow to
embrace these technologies
as he described how he
incorporated many of them
into the Louis Stokes
Laboratories building cur-
rently under construction.
He strongly suggested the
need for an environmental
advocate for every building
project. Mr. Kutlak's advo-
cacy has resulted in some
impressive features at the
new 290,000-gross-square-
foot NIH laboratory includ-
ing extensive daylighting,
direct digital controls, an
energy recovery wheel, VAV
fume hoods, extensive elec-
trical metering to measure
energy consumption
throughout the building,
and appropriate use of vari-
able frequency motors,
pumps, and fans. The ener-
gy efficiency features are
expected to earn NIH a $2
million rebate from the local
energy provider.
Following a similar
theme, Kath Williams, a
conference speaker from
Montana State University,
presented a humorous and
enlightening overview of the
politics involved with "doing
something different." As a
result of her efforts, the uni-
versity has adopted a "plus-
ultra" (Latin for "more
beyond") design approach.
The new approach is being
used in a pilot building on
the campus that will house
some of the university's
chemistry and teaching labs.
As planned, the building will
include advanced fume
hood designs, air scrubbing
technologies, and other fea-
tures with the goal of creat-
ing a zero-pollution
emissions building.
"The challenge," accord-
ing to Ms. Williams, "is not
retrofitting laboratory build-
ings to improve perfor-
mance but retrofitting
people's thinking so they
recognize the opportuni-
ties."
Retrofitting people's
thinking is the goal of the
new Labs21 initiative
announced at the confer-
ence (see related story on
page Ij.Additiona confer-
ence details, including
copies of abstracts and pre-
sentations and lists of atten-
dees and speakers are
available on the conference
Web site . d
Mark Your
Calendars:
The next Labs21 conference
will be held September 6, 7,
and 8, 2000, in San Francisco,
California. Additional details
will be posted soon on the
Labs21 Web site
Call For Papers
Present your paper on energy
efficiency in laboratories at
the Laboratories for the 21st
Century conference, September
6 to 8, 2000, in San Francisco,
California. Fax a 200-word
abstract by June 2, 2000, to
781 674-2906. Presenters will be
notified by July 30, 2000.
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GREENING EPA
page
New Laboratories Initiative continued from page i
for a variety of laboratory
types. The data can be
used to compare labora-
tory performance.
Negotiate voluntary
goals for laboratory envi-
ronmenta performance,
including energy- and
water-efficiency goals,
with each potential
Labs21 participant.
Provide training or other
opportunities to
exchange technica infor-
mation.
Establish partnerships
with interested Labs21
participants.
Promote the Labs21 ini-
tiative.
The typical laboratory
currently uses five times as
much energy and water per
square foot as the typica
office building due to inten-
sive ventilation requirements
and other health and safety
concerns. Examining energy
and water requirements from
the holistic building perspec-
tive promoted by Labs21,
however, can identify signifi-
cant opportunities to
improve efficiencies without
sacrificing health and safety.
As a result, the Labs21 ini-
tiative, as described above,
will begin with an emphasis
on improving energy and
water efficiency. As these
challenges are
addressed, addi-
tional program
elements will promote even
more aggressive pollution
prevention goals and
strategies.
According to EPA esti-
mates, if only 25 percent of
the nation's estimated
150,000 private laborato-
ries achieve energy-
efficiency improvements of
60 percent (an efficiency
gain less than the 68 per-
cent gain expected at EPA's
Ann Arbor facility), then the
United States could reduce
its annual energy consump-
tion by 84 trillion British
LABS FORTHE 2IST CENTURY
thermal units. This would
save $1.25 billion in utility
costs, reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by 1 9 million
tons, and remove the equiv-
alent of 1.25 million auto-
mobiles from U.S. highways.
Additional information
on the initiative is available
on the Labs21 Web site at
or by contacting Phi
Wirdzek at 202 564-2094
or.
Ada Lab To Benefit From ESPC
On the heels of its
success in Ann
Arbor, Michigan,
EPA is on the verge of enter-
ing into another Energy
Savings Performance
Contract (ESPC) for its labo-
ratory in Ada, Oklahoma.
EPA expects the ESPC
upgrades to reduce the Ada
lab's energy consumption by
at least 60 percent and make
Ada an environmental show-
case facility.
Johnson Controls, the
ESPC contractor, recently sub-
mitted its technica proposal
to completely renovate the
laboratory's HVAC system.
The planned renovations will
include replacing the labora-
tory's HVAC system with an
environmentally preferable
ground source heat pump
system for heating and cool-
ing the facility, installing vari-
able air volume fume hoods
to regulate the facility's air
supply and exhaust emissions,
installing new and upgraded
fan motors, and completing
the energy management and
building control system to
permit modular control at
each fume hood.
Work is slated to begin in
early spring of 2000 and
construction is expected to
take 1 year. Currently, the
investment grade audit phase
of the contract negotiation is
under way, which will provide
the engineering guarantee
required by banking institu-
tions before financing. As
with the Ann Arbor ESPC, the
service contractor will receive
1 00 percent of the lab's
energy bill savings for the 23-
year contract period. EPA will
receive a performance guar-
antee on all new equipment
and system upgrades, full
maintenance, and replace-
ment for the life of the con-
tract.
In addition to the ESPC
renovations, EPA is pursuing
a 40-kilowatt photovoltaic
system for the Ada facility to
power the ground source
heat pump. This project will
be funded separately by EPA
and through grants available
to federal facilities. It is not
part of the proposed ESPC.
EPA would like to thank
the following EPA employees
for their dedicated effort and
help in making this project
possible: Roily Santos, Bill
Wise (again!), Fred Childers,
Garmon Smith, and Roger
Cosby. For more information
on the Ada ESPC, contact
Phil Wirdzek at 202 564-
2094 or . rf
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GREENING EPA
page
EPA's Golden Laboratory
Turns Green
In a continual effort to
practice what it preaches,
EPA's Golden, Colorado,
laboratory is using a green
power alternative to tradition-
a forms of energy. Since
November 1, 1 999, the
Public Service Company of
Colorado has supplied the
34,1 00-square-foot laborato-
ry with electricity generated
by wind turbines through a
project called WindsourceSM.
The project offsets as much
as 20 percent of the labora-
tory's more traditional energy
sources such as coa , oil, nat-
ural gas, or nuclear. By
choosing Wind source*4, EPA
is supporting an energy
source that produces no air,
water, or waste emissions,
and helping strengthen mar-
kets for renewable energy.
With the help of the
Department of Energy's
National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, the Golden labo-
ratory collaborated with
Public Service Company to
make the green power pur-
chase possible. The contract
between Public Service
Company and EPA was
signed September 1, 1 999,
and allows the laboratory to
purchase green power in
"blocks" on a monthly basis
for 3 years. The laboratory
will purchase 320 blocks of
wind power per year, which is
equivalent to 384,000 kilo-
watt hours (kWh) and repre-
sents 1 7 percent of the
laboratory's total electricity
based on 1 999 electricity
consumption. (The average
home uses approximately
7,200 kWh a year.) At the
end of the 3-year period, the
Golden laboratory will
reevaluate the expenses and
energy efficiency of wind
power.
Because current green
power sources are slightly
more expensive than conven-
tionally generated power, EPA
financed its green power pur-
chase by adopting a less
expensive source of natural
gas. Formerly, the laboratory
paid Public Service Company
for the natural gas it used as
part of its regular utility bill.
To save money, the laboratory
now buys its natural gas
directly from the wellhead in
Oklahoma and pays Public
Service Company only for the
cost of transporting the gas to
the Golden laboratory, saving
approximately $10,000 per
year by eliminating "middle
man" charges. EPA installed a
gas meter at the Golden lab-
oratory to accommodate this
new delivery arrangement.
Golden's green power
comes from Public Service
Company's Ponnequin Wind
Facility, built on a buffalo
farm on the Colorado and
Wyoming border. The wind
facility has 29 wind turbines
that generate up to 700 kilo-
watts of energy each, supply-
ing Colorado residents with
approximately 20 megawatts
of power. (One megawatt of
wind power can serve the
electricity needs of more than
300 customers.)
For more information on
this project, contact Dianne
Thiel at 303 312-6389 or
or
Sue Datson at 303 312-
7087 or . H
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GREENING EPA
page
PV Installation Planned for EPA's
National Computer Center
Continuing its
trend of alter-
native energy
use, EPA is preparing
to launch a partially
solar-powered comput-
er center in its new
North Carolina facility.
When construction on
the Nationa Computer
Center, and its host
facility in Research
Triangle Park (RTP), is
completed, it will mark
the opening of one of
the largest photovoltaic
(PV) installations on the
east coast. The 1 00-
kilowatt, integrated
roof power system will
convert the sun's light into
energy, feeding it directly to
the building and supplement-
ing the main power utility.
By partnering with Virginia
Alliance for Solar Electricity
(VASE), Solarex, PowerLight,
and the Department of Energy
(DOE), EPA successfully
arranged for $500,000 in
financial assistance for this
$800,000 project. Substantial
financial assistance also was
provided by DOE's
Renewable Energy Project
Demonstration Program.
Among one of the largest sin-
gle PV installations in a feder-
a facility, the RTP computer
center not only gives EPA the
opportunity to demonstrate
the effectiveness and mar-
ketability of an alternative
POWERGUARD® SYSTEM
Solar Electric Panel
Roofing Membrane
Styrofoam'8
Insulation
Roof Deck
Substrate
technology, but it also serves
as a powerful example of the
Agency's commitment to sus-
tainable energy principles. In
addition, the PV system sup-
ports the Million Solar Roofs
initiative, which challenges
American businesses and
communities to install solar
systems on one million roof
tops by 201 0. More specifi-
cally, the RTP installation sup-
ports President Clinton's 1 997
commitment that the federal
government alone will install
20,000 solar rooftop systems
by 2010.
The PV technology for the
computer center is produced
by Solarex Corporation. The
system features a PowerGuard
PV roof tile assembly, manu-
factured by PowerLight, which
incorporates PV cells backed
with insulating polystyrene
foam, turning solar energy
into usable power while
increasing the building's ther-
mal insulation. EPA expects to
complete the building and
solar installation by December
2000. For more information
on the PV system at the
National Computer Center,
contact Chris Long at 91 9
541-0249 or or Doris Ellis at
202 564-8038 or
. HI
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GREENING EPA
page
Doctors "Do No Harm" To Improve Human Health and
the Environment
The Hippocratic oath, to
which all physicians
must swear allegiance,
requires doctors to "Do no
harm." With assistance from
EPA, the Nationa Association
of Physicians for the
Environment (NAPE) is apply-
ing that directive beyond the
operating room and hospita
walls to examine the broader
environmental impacts of the
medical profession's activities
on human health.
EPA's Assistant
Administrator for the Office
of Administration and
Resources Management,
Romulo Diaz, Jr., addressed
nearly 300 attendees at a
recent NAPE conference on
biomedical research at the
National Institutes of Health
in November. Mr. Diaz intro-
duced Labs21, EPA's newest
environmental efficiency ini-
tiative, which can help NAPE
implement its "Pollution
Prevention is Disease
Prevention" philosophy. (Read
"New Laboratories Initiative
Announced" on the cover of
this issue for more informa-
tion on Labs21.) With a
greater emphasis on biomed-
ical research expected in the
next century, NAPE and EPA
see many opportunities for
medico researchers to apply
Labs21 principles. These prin-
ciples will help:
• Lower laboratory utility
and operating costs.
• Reduce health and safety
risks.
• Improve facility manage-
ment.
• Improve community rela-
tions.
• Lower insurance premi-
ums.
In addition to promoting
the Labs21 goals, NAPE is
dedicated to eliminating
nearly all hospital-generated
mercury waste by 2005,
reducing total hospital waste
volume 33 percent by 2005
and 50 percent by 201 0, and
is targeting additional sub-
stances for pollution preven-
tion and waste reduction
projects. NAPE is pursuing
these goals in conjunction
with the American Hospital
Association, EPA's Office of
Pollution Prevention, and
EPA's ENERGY STAR® pro-
grams.
For more information
about NAPE and its partner-
ship with EPA, visit the associ-
ation's Web site at
or con-
tact Phil Wirdzekat202 546-
2094 or . H
EPA's Energy Management Activities Detailed in Report
EPA has submitted its
annua report to the
President on its activities
to meet energy, water, and
greenhouse gas reduction
goals in the previous fiscal
year. The report, The U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency's Energy Manage-
ment and Conservation
Programs Report for Fiscal
Year 1999, addresses EPA's
energy and water efficiency
and conservation activities for
the buildings and vehicles it
owns and operates.
Executive Order (EO)
13123, Greening the
Government Through Efficient
Energy Management, signed
in the spring of 1 999, man-
dates that all federal agen-
cies provide energy and
water consumption data for
all of their laboratories and
other industrial facilities,
unless a facility meets exemp-
tion criteria developed by the
Department of Energy. In pre-
vious years, most agencies
did not report energy con-
sumption data or set reduc-
tion goals for laboratories or
industrial facilities. As an
environmental leader, howev-
er, EPA has provided con-
sumption data for all its
laboratories since 1 993, and
has been striving to reduce
energy and water consump-
tion in these energy-intensive
buildings. Although EO
13123 allows EPA to set
lower standards, the Agency
will continue to work toward
achieving the original, more
stringent energy reduction
goals required of nonindustri-
al facilities.
The energy management
report includes detailed infor-
mation on the following:
• EPA's energy performance
goals.
• Energy-efficiency imple-
mentation at EPA facilities.
• Facility-by-facility energy
and water reporting.
• Energy and water conser-
vation measures being
incorporated in new con-
struction.
• Partnerships with other
agencies.
• Incentive awards to
employees involved in
energy-efficiency mea-
sures.
• An appendix of tables
containing energy and
water consumption data
for each EPA laboratory
for fiscal year 1999.
• An appendix containing
EPA's alternative fuel vehi
cles acquisition report.
For a copy of the report,
contact Phil Wirdzek at 202
564-2094 or . £
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GREENING EPA
page
Current Energy and Water Consumption And Future Plans
The energy consumption
table in the last issue of
Greening EPA (page 4)
contained a decimal error.
The "Net Difference" for Btus
per square foot for fiscal year
(FY) 1995 to 1998 should
have been -0.85 and not
-8.5, as initially given. We
apologize for any confusion
Below is an updated table,
which includes FY99 data.
To meet its goal of reduc-
ing energy consumption 30
percent by 2005 based on
the 1985 baseline, EPA will
rely on aggressive energy-
efficiency projects financed
through energy savings per-
formance contracts (ESPCs).
actual energy-efficiency gains
of its ESPC-financed project
at Ann Arbor, Michigan,
which guarantees a 66 per-
cent reduction in energy.
These same engineering con-
cepts will be replicated in
other EPA laboratories.
EPA also is purchasing
renewable energy and
technologies at many of its
laboratories. In mid-1999,
for example, EPA purchased
100 percent renewable elec-
tricity for its Richmond,
California, laboratory and at
the end of the year began
purchasing almost 20 percent
wind power for its electricity
needs at its Golden,
•his might have caused.
n2000, EPA will
see the install ng renewable energy Colorado, laboratory. £
Percentage of Change in EPA Laboratory Energy
and Water Consumption From FY95 and FY96 to FYOO
FACILITIES
REGION 1
Narragansett, Rl
REGION 2
Edison, NJ
REGION 3
Fort Meade, MD1
REGION 4
Athens ORD, GA
Athens ESD, GA
Gulf Breeze, FL
Montgomery, AL2
RTF, NC
REGION 5
Ann Arbor, Ml
Duluth, MN
Cincinnati, OH
REGION 6
Ada, OK
Houston, TX3
REGION 8
Golden, CO4
REGION 9
Las Vegas, NV
Richmond, CA5
REGION 10
Manchester, WA
Newport, OR
Corvallis, OR
Energy
FY95 Btu/ft2 FY99 Btu/ft2
396,457
58,359
N/A
255,387
N/A
255,435
350,739
492,011
569,409
316,286
370,019
310,105
540,606
N/A
287,793
633,874
261,018
194,688
273,549
411,578
73,291
570,576
248,541
503,595
236,411
350,739
530,033
540,573
241,824
348,164
239,260
547,353
484,226
308,443
415,803
296,234
189,420
253,656
Difference FY95
to FY99 (%)
3.31
25.59
N/A
-2.68
N/A
-7.45
0
7.73
-5.06
-23.54
-5.91
-22.85
1.25
N/A
7.18
-34.40
13.49
-2.71
-111
Water
FY96 H20 FY99 H20
(gal) (gal)
3,059,533 4,276,556
5,308,548 5,911,444
N/A 12,132,300
5,221,059 4,311,461
N/A 5,358,964
8,098,500 5,920,509
1,315,440 1,315,440
72,890,935 57,596,535
18,084,905 16,662,856
2,656,251 1,566,265
35,142,735 39,998,289
2,108,011 5,672,232
5,270,253 5,797,000
N/A 1,497,281
8,938,000 6,914,240
117,436 258,094
2,358,451 2,429,370
963,000 827,000
4,946,120 6,147,491
Difference FY96
to FY99 (%)
39.78
11.36
N/A
-17.42
N/A
-26.89
0
-20.98
-7.86
-41.03
13.82
169.08
9.99
N/A
-22.64
119.77
3.01
-14.12
24.29
*NOTE: EPA's FY99 water consumption actually decreased 6.16 percent compared to FY96 when the new facilites (Fort Meade, MD; Athens ESD, GA; and
Golden, CO) are excluded.
'Estimated.
'Estimated.
3For Houston, FY97 water data was used instead of FY96 because FY96 water data was not available.
Estimated.
Richmond's purchases of renewable power are not included in its Btus per square foot total.
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GREENING EPA
page
Events Calendar
NATIONAL POLLUTION
PREVENTION ROUNDTABLE
Where: Boston, Massachusetts
When: March 21 to 24, 2000
Contact: 202 466-3908
The National Pollution Prevention
Roundtable's Spring Conference will focus
on the latest in pollution prevention policy
and regulatory and technical assistance
initiatives. Plenary sessions will feature law-
makers and other high-ranking govern-
ment officials who will discuss ways that
pollution prevention can be included in
federal policy, as well as at the state and
local level.
FEDERAL UTILITY PARTNERSHIP
WORKING GROUP/EDISON
ELECTRIC INSTITUTE NATIONAL
ACCOUNTS WORKSHOP
Where: New Orleans, Louisianna
Date: April 1 7 to 18,2000
Contact: Melissa Hatcher at 202 479-
2748 or mhatcher@energeticsinc.com.
Topics of discussion for this workshop will
include updates of the FEMP Uti ity
Services Program, the White House work-
shop, uti ity commitment, status of federal
energy projects, Executive Order 13123
working group, and implementation of
utility contracts at federal sites. Registration
and detailed information on the National
Accounts Workshop is available at
.
LABORATORIES FOR THE 21ST
CENTURY
Where: San Francisco, California
When: September 6 to 8, 2000
Contact: FEMP Workshop Hotline, 703
243-8343
Sponsored by EPA, FEMP, NAPE, and AIA
the goal of the conference is to help pri-
vate and public sector laboratory design-
ers, engineers, owners, and operators
work together to reduce costs and increase
laboratory design and operational efficien-
cy. There will be presentations on efficien-
cy; renewable energy; and designing,
building, and operating low-energy labo-
ratory buildings. For additional informa-
tion, please visit .
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(3204)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
) Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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