TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Recently, the Defense Logistics Agency awarded a $42 million energy savings performance contract, to be executed and maintained by Energy Systems Group, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. This represents the Air Force’s first such awarded contract of 2018.
“This joint CE and ALC project was a team effort among Hill, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, DLA, and Headquarters Air Force Material Command,” said Les Martin, program development division chief, AFCEC Energy Directorate. “This project will modernize 255 buildings totaling more than 9 million square feet, increasing energy resiliency, efficiency, and reliability with particular emphasis on industrial infrastructure process improvements.”
An ESPC is a partnership between federal agencies and energy service companies that provides energy savings, resiliency, and facility improvements to government agencies. The nature of these contracts allow agencies such as the Air Force to accomplish these goals with no up-front capital costs to the government.
This project will reduce energy consumption at Hill by over 217 billion British thermal units per year and save the base approximately $3.2 million annually, which will in-turn be used to pay for the project’s total cost over the 22-year term of the contract.
The projected reduction in the base’s utility spend represents an annual savings of 16.7 percent. This is equivalent to the consumption of more than 3,353 homes each year.
A variety of energy conservation measures will be implemented in this project that will help Hill add energy resiliency and offset conventional energy sources with renewable green-energy production.
New LED lighting and, where appropriate, lighting controls, will be installed on 162 buildings to save energy and improve lighting conditions. Additionally, a new 3.55 Megawatt solar array that feeds directly to the base grid will be added to Hill’s renewable energy production capability. Other upgrades will be made to the steam distribution system, compressed air system, and various other ventilation and control systems.
Nickolas King, base energy manager at Hill, was asked to describe how AFCEC contributed to the success of this project.
“The AFCEC ESPC team provided valuable technical knowledge and experience that was instrumental in ensuring an ESPC that reduced energy consumption while maintaining compliance with applicable unified facilities criteria and Air Force regulation,” said King.
Installations wishing to learn more about implementing energy projects such as this one may contact AFCEC through the reachback center at AFCEC.RBC@us.af.mil.
