The annual awards honor outstanding contributions related to energy and water cost savings and the use of on-site renewable energy and energy storage.
Federal Energy Management Program
November 1, 2018
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DOE officials Kathleen Hogan, Alexander Fitzsimmons, and Leslie Nicholls presented an award to the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island team: Randy Monohan, Richard Pierce, LCDR Jack McLeod, James Berotti, and Dan Magro.
On October 23, 2018, at the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) recognized 30 individuals and teams across the federal government as winners of the 2018 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards. These annual awards honor outstanding contributions related to energy and water cost savings, optimized energy and water use, and the use of on-site renewable energy and energy storage projects at federal facilities.
This year’s winners include those serving in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Defense Logistics Agency, Marine Corps, and Navy; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, and Veterans Affairs; and the U.S. Postal Service.
The winners’ exceptional efforts contributed to a reported savings of about $48 million in energy and water costs, more than 2 trillion British thermal units of energy, 145 million gallons of water, and 830 thousand gallons of fuel oil in fiscal year 2017 alone. The energy savings is equivalent to removing more than 100,000 cars from the road for one year or eliminating the average energy use from more than 51,000 households.
Many of the winners utilized performance contracts, which allow agencies to make facility improvements with no up-front cost to the taxpayer and are critical to achieving America's energy savings goals. For example, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island awarded a performance contract to install a 3.5 MW combined heat and power plant and 6.7 MW of solar photovoltaics integrated with a battery energy storage system. Once complete, the site will generate almost 100% of its own electricity.
Some of the winners were recognized for projects and programs that led to significant improvements in the energy and operational efficiency of federal laboratories and data centers, which on average, are more energy- and water-intensive than office buildings. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory installed a cutting-edge thermosyphon hybrid cooling system in its high-performance computing data center, which saved more than 1 million gallons of water in the first year of operation, cutting water usage in half.
FEMP also selects one or more teams or individuals to receive a special Director’s Award for key contributions that have widespread positive effects on energy management across the federal government. This year, FEMP selected the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for its partnership on a resilience framework used to reduce energy use and strengthen resilience in DHS facilities. FEMP also selected the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for its partnership on a Strategic Energy Investment Plan, microgrid assessments and conceptual designs, and an agency-wide operational technology and cybersecurity program.
View a complete profile of this year's winners.