DOE IG CALLS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT AT SITES

The Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration could improve energy efficiency initiatives at a number of sites, which would result in significant annual cost savings, according to a DOE Inspector General report released yesterday. Of the five sites reviewed by the IG, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory did not always identify or implement “low- and no-cost, quick payback energy conservation measures,” according to the report. Additionally, ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex had not fully evaluated buildings to see whether systems were operating as intended. The report adds, “If more aggressive energy conservation measures had been taken, the Department could have saved about $6.6 million annually.”

 

The IG recommended a number of steps to improve energy efficiency measures. That includes evaluating “opportunities to more effectively utilize facility evaluations and electricity metering to decrease energy costs and improve operations of facilities,” as well as prioritizing projects, streamlining performance and reporting of facility evaluations and implementing best practices for billing electricity usage. DOE and NNSA management agreed with the recommendations in separate responses accompanying the report, and said they would be addressed in the Consolidated Energy Data Reports and Site Sustainability Plans due in March 2013.