Energy Audits for Public Works Buildings and Garages
A borough’s Department of Public Works is often an unsung hero, helping municipalities to run smoothly in spite of unforeseen seasonal changes to the transportation infrastructure. Budgetary restrictions can compromise the efficiency of your Public Works Department, resulting in layoffs, restricted schedules, and delays in equipment maintenance.
One way to combat shortcomings in your DPW budget is to implement energy conservation measures and manage energy usage. By replacing and retrofitting outdated equipment and implementing monitors and controls, your Department of Public Works has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of dollars on energy costs. It all starts with an Envinity energy audit.
Typically, the biggest energy consumers for public works department include lighting, heating, and manual controls. An Envinity energy audit goes beyond simple fixes that organizations can do on their own. Envinity will examine your DPW’s building envelope, which encompasses air infiltration, insulation, and weather stripping. We will also study the efficiencies of lighting systems and controls; water efficiency, heating, and conservation; and equipment energy usage. Diagnostic testing includes a blower door test and an infrared scan, which determine how your facility performs under cold weather conditions. Daylighting and landscaping options, through which external surfaces of the building might be altered in order to offer improved internal lighting, will also be examined.
Envinity will also determine whether the installation of occupancy sensors in certain areas such as offices and restrooms might be cost effective. In addition, we will analyze plug loads and operation schedules to determine whether equipment load shedding during non-business hours can offer opportunities for improved savings.
Your energy audit will include a comprehensive energy management plan offering recommendations for retrofitting, replacement, and energy management opportunities. The plan will also include financial payback analysis, including estimated annual savings, estimated cost to implement, simple payback, and a savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) for each recommendation. This gives your organization an opportunity to prioritize energy efficiency measures according to your budget.
Although many efficiency measures pay for themselves over time, it can be a challenge to find funding to implement efficiency measures. Envinity works with municipalities to help identify financing measures, offering grant writing services, funding identification, and low interest loan identification. Contact us today to find out how your borough can plan for the future, increase stewardship, and become more efficient with a comprehensive energy audit.
