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Aberdeen Proving Ground
U.S. Army garrison installation saving $134 million in energy costs while supporting military missions
At a Glance
- 72,500 — Total acreage of the Aberdeen Proving Ground, which houses 2,000 buildings – with a combined floor space of nearly 15 million square feet.
- $134 million — Projected energy savings from projects under a series of performance contracts through 2030.
- 26,500 — Total annual reduction in tons of greenhouse gas emissions that will be achieved from these projects.
The challenge: Reduce energy consumption by 30 percent without interrupting mission-critical support activities
The Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Maryland has been supporting military missions with munitions and materials testing since 1917. Now its leaders have a new mission: Reduce energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015 to comply with Executive Order 13423. By partnering with Johnson Controls, they’re doing just that. In fact, they expect to save the Army $134 million in energy costs by 2030, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26,500 tons annually.
The solution: Site-wide energy retrofit projects financed with savings guaranteed by energy-saving performance contracts
More than 2,000 buildings – some dating back to APG’s earliest years – are being modernized and upgraded. They include research labs and testing facilities where temperature, humidity and air pressure must be precisely controlled and where operations must continue without interruption, as well as workspaces and living environments where comfort levels needed to be improved. Johnson Controls’ energy efficiency solutions include:
- Advanced metering systems to monitor gas and electricity consumption.
- Lighting upgrades and retrofits to use less energy while improving lighting quality.
- An upgrade of APG’s central steam system to improve the efficiency and reliability of steam delivered to critical research facilities.
- New control systems for temperature, humidity and space pressurization for laboratories.
- A new Building Operations Command Center – which uses the Johnson Controls Metasys® building management system – to ensure steam systems, heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and laboratory environmental control systems run at peak efficiency.
Results and benefits
Performance contracts worth $52 million are projected to save $134 million in energy costs from 2007 through 2030. Annual greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 26,500 tons, equivalent to the emissions of 4,714 passenger vehicles. To date, Johnson Controls has delivered the savings guaranteed by these contracts every year since the work started in 2006.
In addition, civilians and military personnel and their families enjoy more comfortable living and working surroundings.
The mission-critical work performed at the research laboratories continues uninterrupted in controlled, reliable environments.
The Aberdeen Proving Ground is even better equipped to continue providing mission-critical support to meet the needs of the U.S. Army through science and technology. In short, mission accomplished.
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a dynamic place with a large number of mission activities impacting our infrastructure and utility systems. With the collective team work of the Government and Johnson Controls, we have always overcome challenges and unforeseen circumstances, focusing on how to get things accomplished instead of why it couldn’t be done.
– Jeffery Presgraves, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Energy Project COR
Learn more
Johnson Controls can help make your military facility work more efficiently, sustainably, and profitably. Contact us to learn how, or try our operational and energy savings calculator today.