City Of Edmonds Substantially Reduces Energy Use at Two Facilities

The City of Edmonds is moving ahead in pursuit of energy conservation among its facilities. One example of these efforts, the City says, is demonstrated by the Public Safety Campus, composed of the Public Safety Building and Fire Station No. 17, which are both downtown.

The first graph accompanying this story (Annual Kilowatt-Hours) illustrates the yearly progressive successes Edmonds has had with reducing the use of electricity at the two buildings.

In addition, the City says it has made good progress with reducing the use of natural gas, a utility closely tied to outdoor temperature.

The second graph (Natural Gas Consumption at Public Safety) depicts the consumption of natural gas, in therms, correlated with degree-day values (a measure of the need to heat buildings) for each building on the Public Safety Campus for the same five-year period.

The utility savings depicted in these two graphs result from the combined efforts of the City of Edmonds and Snohomish County Fire District 1, which has operated Fire Station No. 17 since the beginning of 2010. This cooperative effort between these agencies resulted in avoiding electric utility expenses of about $11,400 in 2011. Natural gas expenses for 2011 equate to about an additional $2,500 in avoided costs versus the preceding highest year.

Says Edmonds Police Chief Al Compaan: “Staff in the Public Safety Building have been an important part of our energy conservation efforts, helping to identify times of the day and zones of the building not in constant use—where we can forgo heat or cooling during certain times. This remains a bit of a challenge, since we are a 24/7 operation. However, we're pleased to see the initiative has provided savings to the City while still providing a comfortable working environment for our staff.”

“Snohomish County Fire District 1 crews are honored to share in the energy savings realized at all three fire stations serving the City of Edmonds,” said Fire District 1 Assistant Chief Tom Tomberg.

“Energy savings initiatives were proposed initially to Fire Administration by Firefighter crews who saw opportunities to be good stewards of the environment and save money in the process. Firefighters, working with Edmonds Facilities manager Jim Stevens and his excellent crew, were able to evaluate fire stations of very different vintage and construction type to create a comfortable 24/7 living and working environment that illustrates how well different groups can come together in accomplishment of a shared cause.”

Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling congratulated the City's facilities staff for their success in reducing energy use throughout Edmonds.

“Our city hall is another superb example of this effort, as it is now in the process of receiving the Energy Star label for its second consecutive year. We have also gained greatly from the leadership of Council President Strom Peterson in all issues related to energy conservation and environmental stewardship. These savings at the Public Safety Campus clearly demonstrate the value of a concerted team effort between separate agencies in pursuit of a common goal, the benefit of the public they both serve.”

Two energy savings performance contracts, the latter completed in 2008, addressed insulation and controls software and commissioning measures at both buildings on this campus. City facilities staff also started a preventive maintenance program in late 2006 to address the regular service needs of HVAC equipment throughout the City, keeping systems operating cleanly and efficiently.

Finally, continuous review of controls settings and schedules to reap opportunities presented by holidays and other unoccupied times, as well as to verify optimal system performance, has been a key strategy employed to maximize savings.

“The City’s work at the Public Safety Campus is testimony to the fact that energy savings projects are not finished when closeout is attained," said Earling, "but are ongoing efforts that require consistent scrutiny to keep the rewards coming.”