Energy Conservation Plan

(also available in .pdf)


The Texas Department of Public Safety ("Department") is committed to providing the taxpayers of the State of Texas with impeccable service in an efficient and effective manner. One of the ways to meet this commitment is to ensure that, from an energy usage standpoint, our facilities are operating in the most efficient manner possible.

The Department's Energy Conservation Plan is a tool designed to help the Department identify, implement, and measure the effectiveness of energy and water cost reduction initiatives used to meet our efficiency commitment.


I.  ENERGY CONSERVATION PLAN OVERVIEW

The Department will strive to reduce its energy usage by utilizing energy-efficient equipment for new purchases, by retrofitting existing facilities to maximize the facilities' efficiency and effectiveness from the standpoint of energy usage, and by educating our employees on day-to-day procedures that reduce energy consumption.


Under the provisions of this plan, the Department will:

II.  PRELIMINARY ENERGY AUDIT

The Department is currently negotiating with Tour Andover Controls (TAC) Inc. to perform a Preliminary Energy Audit (PEA) of Department facilities. TACis an Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) contractor that has worked with other state agencies to identify and implement energy conservation strategies in the past. Based upon our preliminary discussions with TACrepresentatives, the contractor will begin conducting the PEA in early to mid-December, 2005.


The PEA will encompass a review of the utility bills for several offices owned by the agency over the past 26 months and, an on-site assessment of utility systems in offices on our Headquarters Complex in Austin and a representative sample of regional, district, and area offices owned by the agency throughout the state. It is anticipated that the PEA will take approximately six to eight weeks to complete with the final written report due in February, 2006.


III.  UAR IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

At the conclusion of the PEA, TAC will provide the Department with a written assessment of all findings, including a preliminary estimate of potential cost savings the Department could realize through energy-reducing initiatives. Based upon the PEA report, the Department will make a determination about which facilities will be candidates for a detailed UAR. The Department will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a firm to conduct the UAR which will involve a more detailed assessment of all of the energy-using devices and equipment in our buildings. The firm will be responsible for identifying potential cost-saving initiatives that can be implemented by the Department along with a more precise cost-savings estimate. The Department anticipates issuing the RFQ and hiring the contractor during the second quarter of 2006.


IV.  FINANCE STRATEGY

Based upon the scope of work identified by the contractor and the estimate of the cost to implement the recommendations, the Department will seek funding through the Master Lease Purchase Program offered through the Texas Public Finance Authority for the energy savings upgrades and retrofits made to any of the Department's facilities. The funds will be repaid through energy savings achieved by the upgrades and retrofits.


V. UTILITY AWARENESS PLAN

The Department will develop and conduct an employee awareness campaign that will be similar to the plan initiated by the State Energy Conservation Office. This campaign will consist of instructor-led employee training about energy conservation, posting flyers to remind employees about turning off lights, shutting off monitors and printers before leaving for the day, and other energy saving measures. Newsletter articles will be published that remind employees to conserve energy. The Department will also update existing energy conservation policies and procedures located in the Department's General Manual.


VI.  ASSET MANAGEMENT INVENTORY

The Department's Asset Management Inventory is detailed in Annex A.



VII.  UTILITY USE ANDEXPENDITURE REPORT

A two-year history of the Department's utility use and expenditures for all buildings identified in the Asset Management Inventory is detailed in Annex B.


VIII.  SAVINGS MONITORING ANDEVALUATION PLAN

The Department will be unable to determine a percentage reduction of utility usage until the agency has implemented recommendations from the Utility Assessment Report. This will require selection of a vendor to retrofit to our existing state-owned buildings. We anticipate being able to provide a realistic percentage savings estimate at the first reporting date.


The Department will develop a plan to monitor the savings generated by the implementation of the recommendations in the UAR by reviewing the usage of electricity, natural gas and water on a monthly basis. This will be compared with usage prior to implementation of the retrofit to determine the level of savings that has occurred and to detect any possible spikes in usage.


IX.  PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

The Department is working with representatives from Tour Andover Controls (TAC) Inc. to perform a Preliminary Energy Audit (PEA) of Department facilities. We anticipate that the firm will initiate the PEA in mid-December 2005 with the final report due in February 2006.


X.  AGENCY ENERGY CONSERVATION MONITOR

The designated office at the Texas Department of Public Safety who is responsible for implementation of the recommendations in the Resource Efficiency Plan is:

          
Andy Mokry, Manager
Building Program Bureau
5805 N. Lamar Blvd.
P.O. Box 4087
Austin, TX 78773-0255