Energy, water efficiency has helped US agencies save $16bn

For all the complaining about waste in Washington, DC, it seems that some federal agencies are doing pretty well at cutting back on wasted energy and water.

This year’s winners of Federal Energy and Water Management Awards, now in their 30th year, helped to reduce energy use by 7.9 trillion Btu … about as much as is used by 83,000-plus households a year. They also avoided the use of 49.6 million gallons of fuel — enough to meet the annual gas needs of more than 113,000 cars — and saved some $162 million in expenses and 3.4 billion gallons of water.

“Investing in energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies not only cuts government waste, it saves taxpayer money,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

Winning agency projects also helped to offset more than 250 billion Btu of fossil-based energy through a combination of renewable energy generation and purchases. That, in effect, eliminated the emissions of more than 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The top performers this year included employees from the US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Defense Logistics Agency; the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Homeland Security, Interior, and Veterans Affairs; and the General Services Administration.

According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), award-winning agencies over the past 30 years saved almost $16 billion in energy and water costs while reducing consumption by around 770 trillion Btu.