Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a modification Sept. 26 to an existing Utility Energy Service Contract (UESC) with TECO Peoples Gas of Tampa, Fla. This modification or phase will bring energy upgrades to Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida.

A UESC is a limited-source contract between a federal agency and its serving utility for energy and water efficiency improvements and demand reduction services. No funds will be obligated with this award as it will be financed and paid with the savings from the energy improvements.

"This USEC project represents a critical advancement in support of NAS Jacksonville's long-standing goal of increasing our energy resiliency," said NAS Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. Sean P. Haley. "We look forward to continuing our efforts to conserve energy while preserving the mission effectiveness of our installation."

The UESC calls for the design and installation of interior and exterior lighting upgrades in 19 facilities, water conservation measures in 22 facilities, energy management and control system (EMCS) integration and EMCS communications infrastructure upgrades in 15 facilities and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system upgrades in 5 facilities. Additionally, the project includes transformer upgrades in 14 facilities aboard NAS Jacksonville.

"This project is a keystone in NAS Jacksonville's energy conservation program and it's expected to save the Navy a substantial amount of energy over the next decade," said NAS Jacksonville Energy Manager Andrew Rubio. "After this project is constructed, the first year's energy savings alone (over 30,000 MMBTU) amount to the average annual energy use of more than 800 U.S. homes."

"The project is also expected to conserve over one million gallons of water annually, or roughly the equivalent of over 625,000 toilet flushes," Rubio added. "All together, this project should make significant progress for NAS Jacksonville and the Navy toward meeting the Executive Order 13693 mandated targets for energy and water conservation."

TECO Peoples Gas will also provide three years of performance verification reporting as part of the contract. For this project, NAS Jacksonville has agreed to pay for the costs of services/construction from project financing which will be obtained by TECO Peoples Gas.

The project falls under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which authorizes agencies to use appropriations, private financing, or a combination of both to comply with its requirements for UESC for evaluations/project implementation.

It also supports President Barack Obama's December 2011 announcement of a $4 billion investment in energy upgrades to combined federal and private sector buildings. When announced, the investments were intended to save billions in energy costs, promote energy independence and, according to independent estimates, create tens of thousands of jobs in the hard-hit construction sector. The $4 billion investment in 2011 included a $2 billion commitment, made through the issuance of a Presidential Memorandum, to energy upgrades of federal buildings using long term energy savings to pay for up-front costs, at no cost to taxpayers.

The project is expected to be completed by November 2017.


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