SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

The government spends thousands to millions of dollars making plastic IDs for their government employees each year. When these IDs expire or their beholder leaves his/her position, they are then tossed into the trashed and disposed as waste; waste destined to sit in a landfill. Why not recycle them? By making IDs out of recycled plastic and then recycling the IDs themselves after use, the government could not only increase... more »

Set up financing so that the investments in energy-saving equipment and other energy efficiency upgrades can be done without any initial cost. With a financing mechanism in place, a project that might cost $10 million up front and save $1.5 million per year, could now be done with no up-front cost. The $10 million would be borrowed and, if paid back over 15 years, it would cost less than $80,000 per year. So, rather... more »

Replace exterior doors with revolving doors to prevent outside air from entering the building. This would save on heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

The current automatic doors remain open long after the user passes through. With the door wide open, air conditioning (or heat) escapes the building. A revolving door would prevent large amounts of interior conditioned air to escape, thus saving on utilities.... more »

Lack of a comprehensive unit-level energy education program inhibits a collective application of improved practices and does not encourage innovation from the deck plates on up to work towards newer cost-cutting efficiencies in an increasingly challenging fiscal environment.
Including reportable progress metrics with recognition and rewards for the best quarterly efforts will further incentivize a more robust collateral... more »

Along with the numerous requests to put LED lights in government buildings. Include requirement to have Sensor Automatic Light Switch installed in all offices/bathrooms/conference rooms/hallways. This has potential to save thousands if not more every year. I know there's been signficant studies, however they have not created enough concern to get leadership to adopt on large enough scale.

I noticed people wearing coats/sweaters in the summer. By setting thermostat back up to 10 degrees saves up to 20% on Cooling/Heating bill. We conserve energy where ever possible at home; the same should apply at work.

We may be using Fluorescent light bulbs, but we should continue to alternate bulb use like we did prior to using Fluorescent light bulbs. We should keep some lights bulbs Off while others light bulbs are On (alternating bulbs). Thus still providing enough lighting to do the job while conserving Electricity; Reducing lighting where necessary.

Require warmer facility temperatures in summer and cooler facility temperatures in winter. Encourage people to dress appropriately for the season. Most facilities could change their temperatures a degree or two with little difference in occupant comfort. Over the entire federal government a huge cost savings can be recognized. Unoccupied spaces can be adjusted more significantly.

Turn off lights that are not in use. This can be done manually, with sensors or by utilizing daylight. This will save money, energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Office rooms or cubes having a window(s) can switch off their lights in the daytime. Most of the work is done on the lighted computer monitor anyway!

Mandate that all federal agencies and building to inlcude monuments set temperature of 67-68 degrees in the winter and 74-75 in the summer. The cost savings from this action alone will make a significant impact without any extra labor costs.

At the NASA Glenn Research Center, it's difficult to find parking anywhere on lab. Many people drive a huge 4-door sedan or SUV, just to drive themselves to work. For many suburbs, RTA buses are not spaced optimally for us and using them takes too long to get to work.

I propose finding under-utilized parking lots at checkpoints strategically located miles away from federal workplaces and use them for employee parking.... more »

T-12 and incandescent lamps can be replaced to initiate cost savings quickly. Any of these lamps that remain should be replaced as soon as possible. Old products should be recycled.

Install programmable thermostats to make sure that energy use reductions occur when buildings are not in use. Reducing energy used for building space conditioning can result in significant cost savings.

Building insulation greatly reduces space conditioning costs. Insulate outside walls, ceilings/roofs and other areas of building envelopes to reduce energy use and save money. Seal cracks to provide a complete insulation barrier.