Department of Energy Water Conservation Study
Department of Energy Water Conservation Study
Client: Department Of Energy Albuquerque Operations Office
Location: Albuquerque, NM
This study investigates the feasibility of water conservation throughout the DOE-AL site. It examines the existing water usage for the Department of Energy (DOE) – Albuquerque Operations Office (AL) site including both buildings and the landscaping. Current practices and water conservation plans are included with the water conservation effects captured where possible. Buildings investigated include: 380, 381, 381 Conference, 381/382 Interconnect, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 397, 398, Modular Buildings, South Campus, Child Care Center, and Energy Training Complex.
Department of Energy (DOE) – Albuquerque Operations Office site is comprised primarily of offices which provide DOE Central Administration for the U.S. weapons programs. Buildings in the site total approximately 500,000 square feet. Several buildings are newer vintage. Much of the area is within World War II vintage barracks buildings now used for offices. Heating at the time of the study was provided by Steam from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) via Kirtland Air Force Base’s steam distribution system. Hence water and chemical usage was not investigated because it pertained to SNL. Steam heating has since been replaced with distributed pulse boilers based on another feasibility study performed by Lopez Engineering, Inc., which, though pertinent to this project, is not listed due to a maximum of ten project descriptions.
Project: replaces existing older style plumbing fixtures within rest rooms with ultra low flush toilets, waterless urinals, and reduced flow faucets with proximity sensors and automatically controlled mixing valves; replaces the remaining manually controlled sprinkler system with timers and reduced flow sprinkler heads to match changes recently implemented by DOE-AL maintenance contractor; and connects all landscape water system timers to a signal which varies their daily watering period based on weather.
Water savings for implementing these changes were estimated on a building by building basis. Spreadsheets listed savings with all the pertinent data pertaining to the calculations. All recently completed and projected landscaping projects by DOE-AL maintenance contractor to reduce water consumption. Though a decrease in domestic hot water heating would be realized, this related energy cost was not calculated.
Estimated project annual savings: $34,101; Simple payback: 13 Years; BLCC SIR: 1.26; AIRR: 4.21 %