Army National Guard Readiness Center is Going Green

The Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, VA is getting a complete energy efficiency overhaul, worth $20 million.  The readiness center is nearly twenty-one years old and will be upgrading nearly all of its original equipment, including the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.  Additionally, most of the current lamps will be retrofitted with energy efficient lighting, including the addition of motion sensors that will save energy by eliminating wasted electricity when rooms are unoccupied.

The biggest expected energy savings, however, will come from the information technology systems used; personal computers will be switched out with thin client computers that will use much less energy.  On top of that, server upgrades will take place.  Between all of the various updating, the readiness center is anticipating a significant decrease in energy use and utility cost.  The project should pay for itself over the next twenty years.

Army National Guard Readiness Center

photo by Base Realignment and Closure Commission

An interesting aspect of this particular project is that an Energy Saving Performance Contract, (ESPC,) was used.  "An ESPC is an agreement between a federal agency and an energy service company that allows federal agencies to complete energy-savings projects without up-front costs," (Tech. Sgt. David Eichaker, National Guard.)  Because they are not having to pay for the project and supplies initially, the federal agency will pay the energy service company with portions of the actual energy savings they will see after the project is completed.

Source: Tech. Sgt. David Eichaker, National Guard Bureau