The Department of Energy has announced a "transformational energy action management" initiative, aimed at reducing energy use throughout the department’s infrastructure by 30 percent, which it said could potentially save $90 million – after related projects are paid for.
The projects will include the use of energy savings performance contracts, energy service companies, and utility energy service contracts provided by utility companies.
Those kinds of contracts provide private financing and are repaid through savings generated through greater efficiencies – though DoE said many efforts of the initiative would require up-front investment of appropriated funds.
The TEAM Initiative requires DoE to put in place plans for all facilities to reduce "energy intensity" by 30 percent by 2008; maximize installation of secure, on-site renewable energy projects or help purchase renewable electricity; and, reduce water consumption by 16 percent.
DoE announced the initiative recently at the GovEnergy 2007 conference in New Orleans, with an attendance of about 2,000, including federal facility managers. GSA’s administrator Lurita Doan was there to pitch the acquisition agency’s energy efficiency offerings as well.
