Carson City receives $76,000 to conserve energy

The Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE) recently awarded $76,000 to Carson City to assist with its $4.1 million project to conserve energy and reduce the city’s operational costs.

The funding comes from GOE’s Performance Contract Audit Assistance Program.

Performance contracting is a partnership between a building owner and an energy service company (ESCO) that conducts an energy audit identifying improvements that will save energy. The ESCO guarantees the improvements will generate cost savings sufficient to pay for the project over the term of the contract.

Ameresco, the competitively selected ESCO that’s working with Carson City Public Works department, identified 18 facilities for retrofits and upgrades, including:

Carson City Public Library (21,024 square feet, built in 1970)

City Hall (34,097 square feet, built in 1987).

Carson City Court House complex (131,772 square feet, built in 1999).

Fire stations 51, 52, and 53 (a combined 50,210 square feet, built in 1974, 1995, and 1951 respectively).

Carson City Sheriff Department’s administration building and annex (43,000+ square feet, built in 2008).

Carson City Community Center and Aquatic Facility (75,000+ square feet, built in 1973).

Carson City Senior Center (59,341 square feet, built in 1975).

The upgrades these and other facilities received included the installation of interior and exterior energy efficient LED lights and controls and installation of energy efficient boilers and HVAC systems.

“The technical assistance provided by the Governor’s Office of Energy was invaluable getting our project off the ground,” said Tom Grundy, senior project manager, Public Works Department Capital Projects. “PCAAP allowed us to perform more energy conservation measures than we would have been able to otherwise. This project will result in a reduction of Carson City’s CO2 emissions equivalent to 188 typical American homes, replace aging equipment and provide a better working environment for City staff.”

Since PCAAP’s inception in 2014, GOE has awarded $1.10 million to accelerate performance contracting.