Georgia DOC Looks to Lockdown Energy Usage

ATLANTA — Work has begun on a new design-build retro-commissioning (RCx) project for the Georgia Department of Corrections across the state. The $5.8 million project, under contract with the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, is the second largest of 135 energy-efficiency projects being coordinated by GEFA as a result of the $63.1 million the state received through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
 
Servidyne Inc., an Atlanta-based energy-efficiency and demand response firm, will begin auditing more than 170 buildings at 60 DOC locations to identify and prioritize energy savings opportunities. Servidyne will then perform the work at the approximately 5.5 million square feet of DOC facilities over the next 15 months with the assistance of local contractors and other small businesses.
 
Retro-commissioning is the process of assessing and improving the overall energy efficiency of existing building systems. Upgrades and changes implemented during RCx projects include optimizing building controls, restoring building equipment and systems to their original settings, optimizing HVAC systems, and reducing facility water consumption.
 
Upon completion, officials estimates that this project will save Georgia’s taxpayers more than $2 million a year in energy costs.