Coeur d'Alene Tribe - 2014 Project

Background

The economy of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe has been based upon farming and timber harvesting for the past 100 years until the 1990s when the tribe opened a successful gaming operation. The gaming operation, combined with U.S. government funding, has allowed the tribe to decrease pressure on its natural resource extraction and increase the services that the tribe can provide to tribal members and reservation residents. The tribe considers the environment, natural, and cultural resources in everything that it does and considers itself a caretaker of those resources. This project is an important part of the Tribe's caretaking duties. The land and its diverse natural resources supported the spiritual and physical needs of the tribe for thousands of years.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has established goals to protect the cultural and environmental values for the Coeur d'Alene people, including preserving, protecting, and enhancing the natural resources; improving the quality of life; and providing social and economic benefits across the reservation. Research, development, and promotion of alternative energy and fuel sources such as wind, solar, hydrogen, and others have been identified as important by the tribe (Coeur d'Alene Tribe Integrated Resource Management Plan 2012).

The tribe has also developed and submitted an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) that the tribe completed in 2012 with the following goals.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy Goals

Goal 1: Establish energy use benchmarks and monitoring protocols:

1. Conduct electrical energy use audits in partnership with Bonneville Power Administration – completed
2. Establish benchmark for primary tribal government facilities (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Portfolio Manager) – in process
3. Research energy performance goals for new or renovated tribal facilities – not done

Goal 2: Increase organizational commitment to energy efficiency and conservation:

1. Develop an energy management plan – not done
2. Develop a tribal energy efficiency workgroup – completed and meeting regularly
3. Develop an employee energy efficiency awareness program – not done

Goal 3: Evaluate cost/benefit of distributed renewable energy production on the reservation:

1. Evaluate the potential for development of distributed renewable energy production – in process
2. Integrate renewable energy infrastructure into community planning, if viable – in process

The tribe, with assistance from an energy consultant, also completed Level 1 ASHRAE energy audits as part of the EECBG.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is deeply committed to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the natural resources of tribal lands. As part of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's 2012–2013 Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study, 38 tribally owned and operated facilities were assessed for building performance and energy conservation opportunities from Oct. 29, 2012 to Nov. 9, 2012. This study was conducted by Our Evolution Energy and Engineering (OE), an independent, licensed civil and environmental engineering company. The Benewah Market was found by these engineers to be severely lacking in modern energy efficient equipment and systems such as lighting fixtures, coolers and freezers, display cases, cooling and heating systems, ovens, fryers, grills, and many other appliances and systems. As a result, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe prioritized this structure for energy performance improvement and energy conservation measure implementation.

In addition, the tribe is currently completing an Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study (EEFS) funded by DOE on all tribal government buildings on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation. Part of the EEFS process has been to complete Level 3 ASHRAE energy audits on all tribal government buildings. Energy audit data collected during the EEFS has been analyzed using EPA Portfolio Manager. Several underperforming tribal facilities were identified and targeted for energy efficiency improvements. Based on the cost/benefit results, the Benewah Market has been chosen as a high-priority facility.

The tribe submitted an application to the Solar 4R Schools Program that is administered by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF). If the tribe is selected, BEF will provide the tribe with a solar energy array (3 to 5 kilowatts) to offset energy costs of the Natural Resource building in Plummer. Additionally, BEF would provide solar energy curriculum and teacher training, so that the solar array and educational kiosk can be used to teach middle school students about solar and other alternative energy sources.

Project Goals

This project's goals fall in line with the tribe's energy vision as well as its overall mission and vision statements. The goal of the project is to replace all of the old compressors, outdated evaporators, and the old refrigeration units in the Benewah Market.

The tribe anticipates several quantifiable benefits that will result from the installation of energy efficient equipment in the Benewah Market:

• The new equipment will create vastly improved health and sanitary conditions for perishable food storage.
• Overall annual energy use by the facility will drop by 30.8%–45%.
• Energy costs for the facility will drop by at least $16,065 annually.
• Modern, energy efficient equipment will lower annual maintenance and operational costs and increase the economic viability of the market.
• The installation, maintenance, and up-keep of the proposed equipment will provide jobs and bolster the local economy.
• The retrofitting of energy efficient equipment in the Benewah Market will provide an educational opportunity for the local and tribal community members on the importance and benefits of conservation as well as providing a framework for tribal managers for future retrofits/energy efficiency improvements.

Project Scope

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe Benewah Market Energy Efficiency Project will focus on performing 15 significant upgrades to the market's refrigeration systems. The equipment upgrades will be performed by a licensed mechanical contractor, specializing in the installation of commercial refrigeration systems that will be hired utilizing a competitive proposal process.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe will lead this project. The tribe's Environmental Programs Office in the Natural Resource Department will implement this project in close coordination with the tribe's Development Corporation, which manages the Benewah Market. The Environmental Programs Office staff, in partnership with the Tribal Development Corporation, will oversee the pre-planning, installation, and monitoring of equipment and a licensed engineer will also be onsite for a portion of the installation process to provide technical oversight. The licensed engineer will be hired utilizing a competitive proposal process. In addition, the tribe will utilize a competitive proposal process to hire the licensed mechanical contractor with a proven track record in commercial refrigeration systems to install the new equipment and mechanical systems. Operation and maintenance of the upgrades will be performed by a combination of in-store staff and mechanical service providers.

Measurement and verification of energy savings will be conducted by a licensed engineer. Verification will consist of comparing the average annual energy billing records from 12months prior to the project to energy billing for the four quarters immediately following project implementation. This analysis will provide data on energy use savings as well as cost savings realized as a result of the equipment upgrades.

Once verification of energy/cost savings is determined and the goals of implementing energy/cost-effective energy efficiency retrofits to a tribal facility have been realized, the tribe intends to pursue a custom incentive package from energy providers.

Project Location

The Coeur d'Alene Reservation has been the home of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe since time immemorial and it is fitting that the tribe's name in the Coeur d'Alene language is schitsu'umsh, "the ones who were found here." The Reservation is located in northern Idaho, is approximately 345,000 acres and is comprised of forest land, agricultural land, several streams, Coeur d'Alene Lake and the St. Joe River, and a small amount of developed land.

Specifically, the Benewah Market is a 23,500 square foot, single-story, tribally owned and operated facility located at 1111 B St. Plummer, Idaho 83851. The majority of the building is occupied by a grocery store with a full meat department, deli, and bakery. Approximately 20% of the floor area at the northeast corner is occupied by Do It Best Hardware retailer. The largest part of the building is approximately 17,000 square feet, is separately metered and houses the grocery store which was constructed in 1984. The market is the largest full service market serving the Coeur d'Alene Reservation and is the only full service market in a 35-mile radius.