International Analytics Program Earns Federal Energy and Water Management Award
Cars get tune-ups to ensure they operate optimally. But did you know buildings can get “tuned up” too? To make sure a building is running efficiently, it’s critical to analyze its energy use and affiliated costs.
We recently chatted with 2023 Federal Energy and Water Management Award winner Jenna Faupel to see how she analyzes the energy efficiency of 244 overseas embassies and consulates under the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.
Jenna and her team were recognized for successfully implementing a centralized data system that transformed manual processes into automated, data-driven insights collected from 130 currencies and 44 languages. This achievement led to significant operational improvements and $1.8 million in cost avoidance for the State Department, driving efficiency and sustainability within the global portfolio. Read more about how she did it.
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FEMP Focus
DOE Scholar Alumna Lauren Posey Talks Tackling Climate Change in National Parks
We recently caught up with Lauren Posey, a participant in the DOE Scholars Program. After college, she was looking for ways to apply her knowledge and love of both environmental studies and policy.
“Like many in my generation, I see climate change as the defining issue of our lifetimes. I want to be a part of making our day-to-day lives, industries, and processes more sustainable for the benefit of humanity and our precious ecosystems,” said Posey.
That desire to make positive change led her to an internship in the DOE Scholars Program. This program introduces students or recent college graduates to entry- and mid-level research in support of DOE and other Federal agencies’ missions and operations. Learn more about how Lauren’s Scholars experience has impacted her early career work and how you can participate in the program.
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FEMP Seeks Evaluators for the 2024 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards
We are seeking volunteers to assist with the evaluation of the 2024 Federal Energy and Water Management Award nominations. Volunteers should be current or former Federal employees supporting energy/water/fleet project or program management. Non-Federal personnel may volunteer if you have worked directly in support of Federal energy management programs with your primary work location at a Federal government site.
If you or a colleague would like to volunteer, please email femp_communications@hq.doe.gov indicating your interest and your energy, water, and/or fleet qualifications by Friday, January 3, 2025. Please only volunteer if you will be able to complete your independent reviews online between January 20 and February 7, 2025.
Apply for a Rotational Presidential Management Fellow Position at FEMP
We’re excited to offer six rotational opportunities for the Presidential Management Fellows Program. These positions provide a unique chance to contribute to key areas of Federal energy management and sustainability efforts. Opportunities are available in the following areas:
- Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Evaluation and Selection
- AFFECT BIL Negotiations
- Training and Data
- Engagement
- Policy and Strategy
- Facility and Fleet Optimization.
These positions are open until December 31, 2024.
Tools and Resources
New Resource Updates
FEMP Refreshes Energy Savings Performance Contract Resources
FEMP recently updated two of its Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) resources:
2024 Commissioning Guidance for ESPCs
The updated Commissioning Guidance for Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) incorporates additional details on commissioning activities throughout ESPC project phases; roles and responsibilities for agencies, energy service companies (ESCOs), and project facilitators; and best practices and key elements.
Recognizing and Assigning Risks and Responsibilities Using the Risk, Responsibility, and Performance Matrix
Newly updated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ESPC Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Generation 4 contract, Recognizing and Assigning Risks and Responsibilities Using the Risk, Responsibility, and Performance (RRP) Matrix discusses the 16 areas across three categories captured in the RRP Matrix. This latest version includes links to FEMP resources to help agencies and ESCOs in developing ESPCs.
New White Paper
Assessing Historical Extreme Weather Event Impacts To Inform Resilience Planning
Resilience planning, particularly energy and water resilience planning, has been a key priority for the Federal government for many years. Recent Federal policy, such as Executive Order 14008, is also driving agencies to prioritize climate change impacts as a more central component of their resilience planning efforts.
To achieve this, Federal sites must understand their vulnerability to climate change. FEMP’s Assessing Historical Extreme Weather Event Impacts white paper suggests a framework for organizations to begin structuring a comprehensive process for recording the impacts of extreme weather events. The paper’s purpose is to facilitate climate vulnerability assessments and, in turn, resilience planning.
New Tool Features
REopt® Web Tool Adds Air-Source Heat Pump and Portfolio Analysis Capabilities
We’ve added new capabilities to the ! See summaries of the new features below.
Air-source heat pumps (ASHP)
REopt users can now evaluate the cost and emissions impacts of electrifying space heating, space cooling, and domestic hot water heating with ASHPs. Users can evaluate various heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) configurations, including:
- Hybrid systems (i.e., keep the existing HVAC systems as supplemental and backup)
- Full replacement of the existing HVAC system, relying on an integrated resistive-heater backup.
Note: This capability is in BETA form, and we welcome user feedback.
Portfolio and sensitivity analysis
REopt’s portfolio and sensitivity analysis capability now enables users to run several REopt analyses in parallel. This update also expands the previous portfolio analysis capability by:
- Adding wind to the list technologies that can be evaluated
- Enabling users to evaluate distributed energy resources toward renewable energy and emissions reduction targets
- Allowing users to download results in Excel to facilitate comparison between sites and scenarios in a useful
- And more.
New Case Study
DoD Prioritizes Resilience at Joint Warfare Analysis Center
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Warfare Analysis Center completed an energy and water resilience assessment using FEMP’s Technical Resilience Navigator Lite. Get an overview of the process the DoD went through, along with a summary of lessons learned, in our latest case study.
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