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EPA Facility Receives Energy Award
Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center - Upgrades to the Ada, Oklahoma building resulted in energy savings exceeding 50 percent.
EPA's Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center in Ada, Oklahoma, has received the prestigious Federal Energy Saver Showcase Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). The award is a result of an upgrade to the center's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that has resulted in energy savings exceeding 50 percent.
Energy saver showcase facilities are federal buildings that are determined to be operating at their peak efficiency by using energy resources wisely. This is one of the first EPA facilities to be retrofitted in conjunction with the Laboratories of the 21st Century (Labs21) Initiative. Labs21 is a voluntary program established by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy and focuses on improving the environmental performance of public and private sector labs in the U.S. Detailed information about Labs21 may be found at this Web site: http://www.labs21century.gov/.
"We now have a system specifically designed to deliver reliable service and use much less energy," said Steve Schmelling, director of the Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division at the EPA facility in Ada. "It will save money and minimize impacts on the environment." Schmelling added, "It's an honor to receive this energy award and I want to congratulate EPA staff in Ada, Cincinnati, and Washington who worked as a team to make this project a success."
The project included complete replacement of the laboratory exhaust and air conditioning and heating systems with energy efficient heat pumps and digitally controlled components. A ground source heat exchanger consisting of 175 bore holes drilled to a depth of 300 feet is a key component of the award winning system.
The Ada facility is also the first EPA "Zero Emissions" lab, a phrase coined by the EPA's Sustainable Facilities Practices Branch in Washington, DC. This was achieved with the recent purchase of 3 million kilowatt hours of wind power under a three year contract. The EPA uses this green electricity to reduce the need for electricity from power plants and other sources that may produce air pollution.