$29 million project to help reduce energy consumption at Tobyhanna

The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, recently awarded a $29 million energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) task order to Honeywell Inc., to modernize infrastructure and reduce energy consumption at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania.  

The project will provide critical facility upgrades that are expected to lower the depot’s annual energy consumption by more than 20 percent and water consumption by more than 8 percent. 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s calculator, such a reduction in energy consumption each year results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 9,500 metric tons per year and is comparable to removing 2,000 cars from the road every year.  

Upgrades include updating the utility monitoring and control system; implementing sub-metering of building systems such as HVAC, lighting and others for more specific control of energy use; modernizing aging steam heating systems to more efficient, low-maintenance natural gas-fired heat and boilers; eliminating existing steam distribution pipes that have exceeded their useful life; replacing inefficient cooling systems with a modern chilled water system; and sealing air gaps in the buildings to more effectively maintain conditioned air.  

Completion of this project will help Tobyhanna Army Depot meet federal mandates to reduce energy consumption by 2.5 percent per year and water consumption by 2 percent per year through 2025.  

The project is funded through a 23-year ESPC, which means the energy service contractor (ESCO), Honeywell, provides the capital and expertise to make comprehensive energy and water efficiency improvements on facilities or implements new renewable energy capabilities and maintains them in exchange for a portion of the generated savings.  

Huntsville Center has a nationwide ESPC Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) with 15 ESCOs. Task orders are competed among the MATOC vendors using the center’s streamlined procurement process. This proven business model is considered one of the leaders in the Department of Defense. The flexibility of this contracting vehicle allowed the Army to exceed the president’s Performance Contracting Challenge in fiscal year 2014.