Tempe Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant one year later

Denise Brewer

Senior Engineering Associate City of Tempe, Arizona

Overview

In the summer of 2009, the City of Tempe was awarded a $930,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) as part of the American Recovery and Investment Act (ARRA). The City identified twenty-three City buildings and facilities for retrofits, including City Hall, police and fire stations, community centers, maintenance facilities and water treatment facilities. The retrofits included interior lighting kits, HVAC system controls and units, exterior light fixtures and chiller optimization software.

Lessons Learned

Choosing an experienced and knowledgeable contractor has been instrumental in the success and completion of this project. Their knowledge and experience has been helpful in navigating some of the challenges that came along with installing approximately 14,000 interior lighting retrofits, 2,000 occupancy sensors, 500 thermostats and 1,400 HVAC system controls. Facility staff also contributed to the project’s success by troubleshooting complaints and investigating critical calls from building occupants. Their institutional knowledge of the facilities and diverse experience were crucial in resolving any issues on a timely basis and ultimately keeping the project on schedule.

Establishing weekly progress meetings with building occupants helped establish project milestones, weekly goals, and streamlined response calls for repairs or adjustments needed during and after installation of the retrofits. The meetings expedited the answering of any question or concern the building occupants had prior to work beginning scheduled in their areas. Open communication in partnership with these meetings assisted in coordinating work after hours, during non-critical times, and on the weekends in order to eliminate the disruption of City services and operations. An example of this occurred when we needed to install the new heat exchanger in the loop on the main chiller plant that services City Hall, courthouse, jail, police headquarters, human resources and financial services. The team and representatives from each area accessed the challenges and elected to schedule work after hours starting at 4:30 p.m. and completing the work by 4:30 a.m.

Daily site visits and monitoring of the contractor’s progress benefited both the contractor and occupants by providing them with the support and dialogue needed to resolve any challenges occurring from working in areas accessible to the public and employees. Housekeeping, overhead construction, worksite restrictions and limited space were challenges addressed and resolved with the assistance of the contractor and City staff during these daily site visits. The professional relationships established during these activities created a foundation of respect and understanding. Through teamwork and creative scheduling, we were able to complete a substantial portion of the project ahead of schedule.

The placement of exterior lighting fixtures on City facilities and public outdoor spaces is crucial when addressing placement of the fixtures. It is important to assess the architectural elements of a municipal facility at the initiation of the audit and carry through when the audit becomes the project. In conjunction with the architectural element, the project should include the required lighting specifications for exterior areas as well as interior spaces. This will help eliminate any questions about the type of fixture and lighting that is acceptable to your organization.

Another important lesson is to communicate with the department in your organization responsible for building safety inspections to determine whether they require inspections on lighting retrofits. Some organizations classify these retrofits as a component of routine maintenance while others require permitting and inspections. If it is addressed prior to project initiation, the schedule can be established to reflect the permitting and inspections assisting with the success of the project.

After nine months of working through the City’s designated twenty-three facilities, here are a few

team recommendations for future energy retrofit projects. Begin with HVAC system controls, units and/ or thermostats during the mild (shoulder) months of the year. Once new thermostats are installed, occupants will monitor them to ensure they are functioning correctly. This increases the communication between occupants and facility staff. A gradual adjustment for set points assists the occupants to adjust to the new temperatures.

Energy grants will save your organization money and reduce the carbon footprint. The City of Tempe is already benefitting from the energy savings. We encourage others to seek out environmental savings programs for their own communities.

Denise Brewer can be reached at (480) 350-8409 or Denise_Brewer@tempe.gov.

Your Vote in APWA Does Count

As an APWA member, you will have the opportunity to vote for members of the APWA Board of Directors between July 6 and August 3, 2012:

• APWA president-elect; • At-large director in the functional areas of Engineering & Technology,

Environmental Management, Public Works Management/Leadership, and

Transportation; and • Regions III, IV, VII and IX Regional Directors (by APWA members in those respective regions)

The ballot will be available for online voting between July 6 and August 3, 2012 on the “Members Only” section of the APWA website. There will also be a voting icon on the home page of our website. If you do not have access to a computer at home or work, you may access the APWA website at your local public library or other public access points. If you are not able to vote online, you may request a paper ballot from Cindy Long at (800) 848-APWA, ext. 5220. Additional reminders of the voting process will be sent through the infoNOW Communities; via e-mail to every member for whom we have an e-mail address; and in future issues of the APWA Reporter.

If you have questions, please contact Cindy Long at clong@apwa.net or (800) 848-APWA (2792), extension 5220.

APWA’s LaFever named Board Chairman of Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure

Howard B.

LaFever, P.E., BCEE, Principal with GHD Inc., of Cazenovia, New York, was recently named Chairman Howard LaFever of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). ISI’s purpose is to improve the performance and viability of infrastructure through the application of more sustainable technologies and methodologies. The organization was co-founded in 2011 by APWA, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). “I am truly honored to be the ISI Chairman of the Board of Directors, which has been founded to implement the important task of the sustainability of infrastructure for the twenty-first century and beyond,” said LaFever. “The ISI has taken on this role, which is an important initiative designed to develop sustainable technology to help our society and our communities, and to help policy makers evaluate the sustainability of infrastructure, along with setting realistic national priorities, and conducting a national discourse on infrastructure investment. In the U.S. this is incredibly important given the nature of our crumbling infrastructure.”

With 41 years of engineering experience, LaFever is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE) of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE), and has been serving on the ISI Board of Directors as Chair-elect since 2011. LaFever has a specialty certification in Environmental Sustainability and Water & Wastewater. In addition to the Board Chairman position with ISI, he is a lifetime member of APWA, and has served in a major role as a founding member of APWA’s Center for Sustainability, and as a member of the Center’s leadership group. LaFever served on the APWA Board of Directors for six years representing DE, PA, NY and NJ, and is a fellow member of ASCE, the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, Past President of the ACEC New York Central Chapter, and a life member of the Water Environment Federation (WEF).