Montgomery County in Tennessee is partnering with Siemens Industry for a new self-funded energy and water efficiency project, according to recent reports, with costs for the project are expected to run around $5 million.
The Mayor of Montgomery County, Jim Durrett, commented: “This project is very unique, as it will be funded through the savings that it generates over time. … Government doesn’t get to take on projects very often that pay for itself [sic], so I’m really excited about this one. It’s a win-win for us. We will not only be upgrading and replacing much need [sic] items like chillers, boilers, and lighting, but at the same time installing equipment that is much more efficient, saving us money on utilities for years to come.”
Clarksville Online provides an overview of the project:
- Retrofit of over 23,000 lamps and fixtures to LED.
- Water efficiency upgrades — including the upgrade of over 600 toilets with low-flush components.
- Replacement of 3 chillers and 4 boilers with new higher-efficiency units and replacement of two 500 gallon hot water storage tanks.
- Installation of an Ozone Laundry Treatment System for the jail.
- Refurbishment of 4 cooling towers.
- Upgrades to the HVAC building automation systems and variable frequency drive (VFD) installations to increase energy efficiency.
“To add to the uniqueness of this project, Siemens has guaranteed the savings — including 2,473,263 kWh of electricity per year; 34,154 ccf of natural gas per year; and 8,545,365 gallons of water per year! The utility expenditures are also expected to drop by at least 23% and the total projected utility and operational savings over 15 years is $6,744,857. The first year savings alone are $358,827.”
The project is expected to begin before the beginning of November, with completion slated to occur by the autumn of 2017.
Of all of the options available to regional governments to slash costs and emissions, self-funded energy and water efficiency projects are probably the most sensible. Savings through such an approach are usually rapid and substantial — a win-win, as the mayor of Montgomery County put it.
We don’t often cover such “small-scale” projects, but we’re hoping that highlighting things like this here and there help to inspire other counties, cities, provinces, states, and businesses to jump in and implement their own energy-saving, water-saving, and money-saving projects.
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