Clayton County Infrastructure Improvements Positively Impact County Budget

As local governments look for ways to cut costs and save money, one suburban Atlanta county turned an investment in energy efficiency into six-figure annual savings.
 
Energy saving upgrades completed in Clayton County buildings last year are positively impacting the county budget in excess of $820,000 following project completion and the first year of operation. This total includes $220,000 of energy savings during project construction and $600,000 during the first year’s measurement and verification program.
 
The building upgrades, which were completed in seven county facilities to reduce energy use, provide the added benefits of improving the comfort and productivity of county employees and reducing the county’s environmental impact.
 
Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, worked with Clayton County leaders to identify ways to maximize energy efficiency without sacrificing employee comfort.
 
Clayton County funded the upgrades with a performance contract which allowed the county to use future energy and operational savings to finance infrastructure improvements up front. Performance contracting is a funding option that provides measurable business results to support strategic objectives.
 
Clayton County leaders selected energy conservation measures for the upgrades after completing a detailed energy study of the seven key buildings. Then, Trane and Clayton County used energy modeling software to weigh the merits of potential solutions by analyzing these options through a lifecycle model.
 
Critical facility needs, including building comfort issues, were included in the analysis and incorporated into the solution. These challenges included inadequate cooling at the Department of Family and Children Services complex, temperature control issues at the County Archives building, and urgent piping issues at the Annex III building.

Upgrades, which were completed in 2011, included replacing or redesigning heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to increase temperature control, reduce energy consumption and decrease operating costs at five facilities: the Department of Family and Children Services complex, Annex III, the County Archives building, the HR Banke Justice Center complex and the Clayton Center behavioral health buildings.

Nearly 12,500 light fixtures were replaced with high-efficiency lighting technology throughout the seven buildings to enhance lighting and reduce related expenses. The county installed lighting occupancy motion sensors in critical areas of six buildings to ensure that rooms are only lit when needed, extending the life of the bulbs and fixtures and lowering energy consumption. These areas include: lobbies, kitchen/dining areas, conference rooms, offices and warehouse areas.

The county installed high efficiency plumbing fixtures in the County Archives building to decrease water use at this facility. Building automation systems were added to six buildings to centralize control and provide remote access.

High efficient building automation systems (BAS) replaced outdated systems at the Department of Family and Children Services complex, Annex III, the Headquarters Library on Battle Creek Road, the County Archives building and at the Clayton Center buildings. The control system at the justice complex was updated to work with the new design of the central chilled water plant.

The county retrofitted the library’s main entry to minimize air infiltration and the loss of conditioned air. Electricity meters within the HR Banke complex and the Lundquist Aquatics buildings were consolidated to reduce electricity unit costs and to leverage the current rate structure.