SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

I do not know how it is for other offices or agencies, but the Air Conditioning at HUD is overused and a waste. The Temperature is set to a degree, where employees are bringing in their own personal heaters, creating an even bigger wastage. Air conditioning should be at a comfortable level during the Summers, and heat should be limited during the Winters. Employees are just sitting around at their desk most of the time,... more »

HST is freezing, even in the middle of summer. For some time, I've been thinking about buying a space heater for the office, which would waste even MORE engergy and tax payer money. Turn down the air conditioning, even a few degrees, and save big.

Creating a collateral duty within a unit (unpaid) that focuses on minimizing the carbon and resource waste one generally sees in the Federal government to both improve energy consumption and save money would improve and promote resource management. One way of avoiding cuts in manning is to reduce costs- everywhere you can.
Education for this person could be similar in structure to what is now the SSO and security manager... more »

Federal government buildings are kept incredibly cool in the summer - one could even say the temperature inside Federal buildings is downright cold in June, July, and August! Constituents and citizens entering the buildings wearing typical summer-wear are quickly shivering. The Federal government uses an enormous amount of power to keep government buildings so cold in the summer. High power usage costs the government... more »

Turn large Federal facilities and bases into self-sustaining power plants using green energy such as solar, wind, geothermal, etc. This creates jobs, stimulates the local economy for each large facility, stimulate green initiatives, save money and the enviornment. Excess power can be sold back to the local power companies or used to charge an electric Federal fleet of cars.

It is common practice to issue laptops and desktops to designated individuals, doubling the burden on OIT support staff (Both Help Desk, DSM) as well as Asset Management and the user to keep all the hardware/software current with system updates. Note: To maintain COOP readiness all computers must be up to date and ready for service with minimal intervention.
Beyond support there is a direct cost associated with having... more »

Some VA centers use a boiler system to heat the facility and heat water. One way to generate its own elecricty would be to install generators or turbines in the boiler stacks. This would generate electricity 24 hr a day. Since heat rises simply install the turbine or fan blades in the boiler stacks and as the heat rises it will turn the blades generating electricity. Another idea would be to install small turbine generators... more »

Install Hardwired attic fans attached to solar panels. This would work by during the hot months electricly kicking on and drawing out hot are better than non electrical systems. The benefit would be that it would lower the attic temperature thus lowering the cooling that would be disapated through the 100 degree attic during the summer.

Solar Roadways are quiet and clean (ideal for military bases, eliminates unsightly powerlines, ideal for charging electric cars, can be used in remote areas, much less pollution). Also, production would create lots of green jobs. This idea can also be applied to sidewalks, walkways, playgrounds, parking lots, etc... They melt snow and ice eliminating lots of snow removal and they illuminate roads. It would be a great... more »