Denver, Colorado - Denver Federal Center

photo: Denver National Enforcement Investigations Center

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power
Re-commissioned

Office of Compliance and Enforcement's
National Enforcement Investigations Center

Total Facility Area: 101,735 rentable square feet (RSF) (EPA share)
Estimated Personnel: 137 EPA personnel
Energy Consumption: 26,526,292,650 British thermal units (Btu) per year (EPA share)
Btu per RSF per Year: 260,739
Water Consumption: 1,134,447 gallons per year
Gallons per RSF per Year: 11.15

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2008. The National Enforcement Investigations Center is a non-reporting facility, which means it does not submit quarterly energy and water data to EPA or the Department of Energy (DOE).

Description

The National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) occupies Building 25 of the Denver Federal Center and provides technical support for EPA enforcement and compliance assurance programs nationwide. NEIC is the first environmental forensic center in the country to be accredited by the National Forensic Science Technology Center for its environmental measurement activities in field measurements and monitoring, field sampling, and laboratory measurements. The facility was dedicated in October 2003.

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

In November 2005, NEIC completed work on a two-year laboratory module recommissioning project. As part of this effort, EPA evaluated and modified the laboratory's heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system; rebalanced the facility's air flow; and recertified all of the laboratory's fume hoods. EPA also installed a new onsite metering system, which allows the Agency to verify the facility's actual energy use. EPA expects that these actions will help NEIC reduce its annual energy consumption by approximately 10 to 20 percent, or 9.5 billion Btu, and save the facility $100,000 each year.

Green Power

In FY 2008, EPA continued to support the renewable energy market by purchasing more than 212 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power through two separate Agencywide blanket contracts for renewable energy certificates (RECs), or “green tags,” from Sterling Planet, Luminant Energy Company, and FPL Energy . These purchases allowed EPA to offset 100 percent of electricity consumption for FY 2008 at the Denver facility, as well as many other EPA facilities across the Agency. Procured through the Defense Energy Support Center, these contracts support renewable energy generation from wind, biomass, and landfill gas resources in nine states.
In June 2006, EPA signed a contract to acquire 110 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in renewable energy certificates (RECs), or "green tags," from 3 Phases Energy Services over the period September 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007. This blanket purchase supplied EPA with enough RECs through FY 2007 to offset 100 percent of annual electricity consumption at the Denver facility and other EPA facilities not covered by separate green power contracts. Procured through the Defense Energy Support Center , this contract supported wind power generation in California, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

For More Information

L. Sue Datson (datson.sue@epa.gov)
Denver Federal Center
Bldg 25, Box 25227
Denver, CO 80225
Phone: (303) 462-9068
Fax: (303) 462-9019

Web site: http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/neic/index.html