BUFFALO GROVE, IL - A year after the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry, Inc. started a $2.5 million performance contract implementing various energy-saving and resource conservation measures for the Greenville Housing Authority (GHA), construction-phase data reveal the North Carolina housing authority project is exceeding its estimated construction period energy savings. According to Siemens' recent analysis, energy savings will likely exceed the guaranteed annual amount by 5 - 10 %.
Under the HUD Green Initiative, which encourages owners and operators of low-cost housing developments to enact procedures and implement technologies that improve sustainability in their operations, the GHA engaged Siemens to help reduce energy and water consumption throughout it residential buildings. "We selected Siemens for many reasons, including the breadth of their product offerings, the substantial engineering assistance, and especially the performance guarantees on the energy savings, which matched our requirements for the HUD Green Initiative," said Don Rogers, executive director for GHA. "The scope of their experience in helping housing authorities across the country really impressed us," noted Rogers.
The performance contract Siemens executed included installing new energy-saving residential lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures which reduced water demand significantly. Siemens also implemented automated electric and water meter reading (AMR) technology that allows utilities to gather data without interrupting residents. The devices also free up significant time for GHA staffers who used to read all meters manually. According to the GHA, residents' consumption data is a valuable energy management tool and it will be able to manage allocations and aberrations better with the new Siemens system. As part of the Green Initiative, Siemens is also providing all energy data reporting to the GHA to ensure HUD reimbursement.
In addition to the substantial energy savings realized by the work, the residents and community have benefited in other ways. According to Frank Shepard, PE, a Siemens Building Technologies Energy and Environmental Solutions account manager, "We used local labor as much as possible which creates jobs and economic activity in the community. Siemens also trained residents on energy saving practices to apply in their own homes to help lower their utility bills."
Siemens recently assisted GHA in obtaining additional funding in a competitive ARRA grant. This was leveraged with additional energy savings to provide new HVAC systems for the residents.
The new GHA project is the second of its kind delivered by Siemens in Pitt County, North Carolina. The County's first performance contract continues to exceed its guarantees, and over a three-year period, has generated the equivalent of approximately $85,000 in extra energy savings.
Source: Siemens Industry, Inc.