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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12052000 - C135 4!5 - TO: , BOARD OF SUPERVISORS +�i'`0 FROM: Barton J. Gilbert, Director of General Services Contra Costa DATE: December 5, 2000 County SUBJECT: REFERRAL TO INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERATION OF A POLICY FOR ENERGY MANAGEMENT IN COUNTY BUILDING /FACILITIES SPECIFIC REQUESTS OR RECOMMENDATION(S)S BACKGRQUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Refer the General Services Department's recommendation of a policy for energy management in County buildings and facilities to the Internal Operations Committee. BACKGROUND: Contra Costa County has approximately 4 million square feet of buildings and facilities which house diverse functions including ones that operate 24-hours a day. These facilities use utilities to maintain their operations. Such utilities include electricity, natural gas, propane gas, gasoline, oil, garbage collection, sanitation services, and water. Many of these utilities use energy resources that are non-renewable. Even renewable natural resources may still be in limited supply because of the cost of generation. The cast of electricity, gasoline, oil, and natural gas has increased significantly during the past year. These utility costs are a major portion of every facility's maintenance budget,particularly for the 24-hour hospital and detention facilities. Because of the increased costs and limited supply of energy sources, the General Services Department wants to ensure that such commodities are used judiciously in the operation of County facilities. Some employees are careful in managing the use of energy, while others do not seem to recognize the benefits and do not try to manage the use of energy. The General Services Department recommends that the Board adopt a policy on management of energy in County buildings and facilities. A proposed draft of such a policy is attached for consideration by the Board's Internal Operations Committee. FINANCIAL.IMPACT: The County can save both on energy costs and reduced usage of utilities by taking appropriate steps in every County department for energy management. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: -P-r- - NftAA& RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): - " �e-' ACTION OF BOA N December 5. 2000 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED XX OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS XX UNANIMOUS{ABSENT ** AYES: NOES: -- ABSENTS:_ ABSTAIN: MEDIA CONTACT: CC: County Administrator I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE General Services Department AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED December 5, 2000 _ SSUPERVISQEL ARD COUNTY THE BOARD OFSupervisor V Best 1S vacant ISTRATOR BY g"i A DEPUTY F:\Board Orders\Board Order Energy Mgmt Policy 11182000Aoc DRAFT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY POLICY ON ENERGY MANAGEMENT IN COUNTY BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES I. POLICY STATEMENT: The Contra Costa County General Services Department has responsibility for maintaining County buildings and facilities which includes receipt and payment for utilities used in these buildings. While General Services makes modifications to buildings and equipment to optimize the use of energy, such as implementing lighting retrofits, upgrading control systems for building equipment, and making other building modifications to efficiently use utilities, each line Department and every employee must be responsible to reduce the use of energy in equipment and buildings wherever possible. II. ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM: A. Set temperatures in office buildings between 75° and 78° for cooling in the summer and 660 and 70° for the heating in the winter. B. Turn off all equipment when not in use, both after work hours and during the day when not in use. This equipment includes computers, printers, copy machines, radios, fans, space heaters (which can only be used if approved by General Services, as they are energy hogs and can be fire hazards), coffee makers, ovens, and especially lights. C. Assign employees whenever possible to core work hours to avoid heating or cooling a largely unused workspace or building. D. Keep doors and windows to exterior of building closed because energy is wasted from the HVAC equipment when installed in buildings. These also should be closed for security and fire prevention. Window coverings should be utilized to block out the sun during hot weather and to keep the heating inside during cold weather. Window tinting is appropriate in some locations. E. Whenever an emergency alert is issued to curtail use of power by the California Independent System Operator because there is insufficient power available to meet demands, then every department must take steps to reduce power. This includes turning off as many lights and other pieces of equipment as possible to reduce the likelihood of rolling blackouts. Many wall light controls have two switches and often one switch can be turned off to reduce electricity consumption. General Services' Stationary Engineers will reduce power usage for HVAC and other mechanical equipment where possible. F. Where feasible, purchase laptop computers and inkjet printers as they consume 90% less energy than desktop computers and laser printers. G. Request "Energy Star" electrical appliances which are energy efficient when requesting purchases. Computers, monitors, and fax machines that are "Energy Star" rated power down to reduce the use of electricity when inactive for a period of time. H. Report malfunctioning equipment including water faucets, plumbing fixture leaks, flickering lights, faulty ventilating systems, outside irrigation system leaks. III. INTERNAL CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES: Department heads are expected to ensure that their employees follow internal controls and procedures for energy management as outlined below. A. Inform employees of the provisions of, and how they are expected to follow, the goals of the energy management program. B. Advise employees to request purchase of "energy star" equipment which has been designed to use the smallest amount of energy possible. C. Identify and have corrections made to eliminate use of inefficient equipment and inappropriate use of energy, such as employees using unapproved space heaters or failing to turn off lights and equipment when not in use. D. Take other measures that can save or eliminate use of energy, such as using alternative fueled vehicles, using public transportation, purchasing and using recycled products, making double sided copies for multiple pages of a document and recycling.