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Award-winning Energy Plan Helped US Agency Save Energy and Tax Dollars

Johnson Controls’ strategies helped the Bureau of Land Management reduce energy use by 30%, costs by $1.2 million.

What do you do when the President issues an executive order to increase energy and water efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but you have thousands of facilities in remote locations all over the country? The Bureau of Land Management sought Johnson Controls’ experience and expertise to perform an award-winning energy management audit and comprehensive plan.
The Bureau of Land Management oversees 258 million acres of public lands, comprising about 13 percent of all U.S. land surface and more than 40 percent of all land managed by the federal government. With Johnson Controls’ expertise and experience, the agency was able to:

  • Reduce energy use by 30% from 2005 baseline data
  • Reduce energy costs by $1.2 million
  • Reduce energy consumption by 30,758 MBTUs
  • Reduce 7 million pounds of greenhouse gases

Johnson Controls took a three-pronged approach to reducing energy usage and greenhouse gases while expediting much-needed facility improvements.

1. Large-site upgrades
BLM invested $9.7 million to implement upgrades in seven states, at large facilities using more than $25,000 of electricity and natural gas annually, Johnson Controls implemented upgrades such as: 

  • New boilers, air handlers, chillers, ground source heat pumps and HVAC controls
  • Retro-commissioning of existing energy management and control systems
  • Replacing T12 and incandescent lighting with T8 and compact fluorescent lighting, and installing occupancy sensors
  • Water conservation upgrades
  • Infiltration upgrades and window replacement

2. Standard facility improvements
At small, remote facilities that use between $1,000 and $5,000 of electricity annually, Johnson Controls improvements included:

  • New high efficiency split system A/C units
  • Programmable thermostats
  • Replacing T12 and incandescent lighting with T8 and compact fluorescent lighting, and installing new outdoor LED fixtures
  • Occupancy sensors
  • Installing and commissioning all devices in one trip to reduce travel and energy costs

3. Maximizing renewable resources
A six-year, $18.5 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) focused on providing renewable energy power, such as:

  • Photovoltaic - A total of 138 kilowatts of photovoltaics were installed at Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado and at the Salem District Office in Salem, Oregon. Both facilities received 38 kilowatts of roof-mounted arrays and 100 kilowatts of ground mounted arrays. The two sites were the largest of a twenty-one site, seven-state renewable build program, which totaled 775 kilowatts of installed solar photovoltaics.
  • Wind Power - A new 120-foot wind turbine at the BLM Field Office in Rawlins, Wyoming, is rated at 100 kW with an estimated output of 300,000 kW hours per year.
  • Solar Thermal – Solar thermal systems were installed at the BLM Air Center in Grand Junction, Colorado and the Salem District Office in Salem Oregon to augment the domestic hot water systems.


Maximizing funding resources to save valuable tax dollars

Using a pre-qualified vendor like Johnson Controls offered the Bureau of Land Management a simplified approach, streamlined project execution and reporting accountability. Additional savings were achieved by using a variety of funding sources – such as Energy Savings Performance Contracts, American Recovery and Renewal Act (ARRA) and utility rebates. 

The BLM team was honored with a Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management for its efforts.
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