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General Services > Environmental Management Home > News & Announcements
9/16/09
Energy Savings Summary
Due to energy saving efforts, Albemarle County has saved an estimated $150,000 in utility bills, and reduced our CO2 emissions by over 700 tons.
As of July 1st, overall energy savings from all County buildings is 15% (weighted average based on square footage) from our baseline year of 2005.
Building-by-building breakdown:
• COB McIntire: 13.7%
• COB 5th St: 15.1%
• Court Square: 19.9%
We have especially made progress at Court Square, going from an ENERGY STAR rating of “53” in January 2008 to a rating of “76” by May 2009!! We believe this is due to a combination of our lighting retrofit project (replacing T12s with T8 light fixtures), HVAC set point changes in May, and training efforts.
COB-5th Street is currently at a rating of “73”, only 2 points away from being eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR like COB-McIntire already has. Hopefully our projects and efforts in 2009 will accomplish this goal.
We are currently in the progress of adding the fire stations and Parks & Recreation sites to our portfolio for analysis.
9/2/09
The County has just released a 5-year Energy Conservation Plan
The County’s Energy Management Team has finalized our 5-Year Energy Conservation Plan, which includes initiatives that will help us reach our 30% by 2012 energy reduction goal. Click here to view plan.
8/3/09
City and County Partner to Establish Energy Efficiency and Renewables Program
The County of Albemarle and City of Charlottesville have been working with partners on a strategy to establish a community-based, comprehensive energy efficiency and renewables program. The Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) will focus on saving money, saving energy, reducing greenhouse gases, and being an active participant in a growing local green economy. The program is currently under development and we are aiming for an official launch in early 2010. Please visit www.va-leap.org for more information.
6/17/09
Charlottesville to be First City in Dominion Virginia Power's 'Smart Grid' Network
Charlottesville has been selected as the first city in Virginia and one of the first in the nation to benefit from “smart grid” technology that will make the delivery of electricity more efficient and less costly while improving customer service. Smart grid capabilities also will promote energy conservation and environmental responsibility. Charlottesville has been selected as the first city in Virginia and one of the first in the nation to benefit from “smart grid” technology that will make the delivery of electricity more efficient and less costly while improving customer service. Smart grid capabilities also will promote energy conservation and environmental responsibility.
Click here for more information...
4/27/09
County, City Offer Joint Bulky Waste Amnesty Program
Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, with assistance from the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, are sponsoring several bulky waste amnesty days this Spring during which there will be no charge to county or city residents to deliver specified large trash items to the Ivy Materials Utilization Center (MUC). During past amnesty days, over 4000 tons of large trash items have been disposed of at the MUC instead of in illegal dumpsites or along the roads or in ditches in the county.
Click here for more information...
4/15/09
Green Resource Map
The County has just created a new Green Resource Map in order to make “sustainable living” easier for County residents by providing a resource for residents to find out where they can reuse, recycle and/or properly dispose of common household items, highlighting Park & Ride sites to make carpooling easier, featuring farmers market locations so that residents can choose to “eat local”, and including green demonstration projects for residents to tour/visit/see, such as LEED certified buildings, rain gardens, solar energy sites, and green roofs. The Green Resource Map will be updated periodically. Click here to download your copy.
 3/18/09
Albemarle County Gets Into Hot Water with New Solar Panels
Albemarle County recently installed a solar thermal system at its 5th Street County Office Building system to gather solar thermal content through roof-mounted collectors to supplement the existing hot water system so that less natural gas is used for heating water. It is estimated that as many as 206 gallons of hot water are used in the building daily, in part due to showers installed for use by police officers and firefighters. This new solar system allows the storage of high temperature water with a smaller environmental footprint, and also increases overall system efficiency.
1/12/09
Energy Savings Summary
Due to energy saving efforts, Albemarle County has saved an estimated $103,875 in utility bills, and reduced our CO2 emissions by 425 tons.
As of December 1st, overall energy savings from all County buildings is 11% (weighted average based on square footage) from our baseline year of 2005.
Building-by-building breakdown:
• COB McIntire: 12.7%
• COB 5th St: 8.1%
• Court Square: 10.7%
We have especially made progress at Court Square, going from an ENERGY STAR rating of “53” in January 2008 to a rating of “68” by December 2008!! We believe this is due to a combination of our lighting retrofit project (replacing T12s with T8 light fixtures), HVAC set point changes in May, and training efforts.
COB-5th Street is currently at a rating of “73”, only 2 points away from being eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR like COB-McIntire already has. Hopefully our projects and efforts in 2009 will accomplish this goal.
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