EMR TO DESIGN AND INSTALL ADVANCED METERING TECHNOLOGY FOR GSA FACILITIES
IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
ARLINGTON, Va. –
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) plans to install state-of-the-art
metering equipment in select buildings in New York and New Jersey.
GSA has selected Enviro-Management & Research, Inc. (EMR) to develop
a pilot metering program designed to help GSA expand its testing and
implementation of metering technologies and support the agency's deregulation
plan and load control efforts.
EMR, with GSA's input,
will choose 13 facilities in New York and New Jersey to test new advanced
energy metering technologies. EMR will perform the engineering study,
design, and installation of the new metering system, and will monitor
performance after installation. EMR will then collect and analyze
energy use and demand information for each pilot GSA facility to help
GSA determine the overall need for metering systems in its facilities
nationwide.
Electric utility deregulation
in the United States is presenting both opportunities and challenges
to optimize electric power procurement strategies. Many customers
and suppliers alike are transitioning into new ways of buying and
selling power. GSA and its facility managers have recognized the need
to understand future electric power market drivers to take advantages
of new types of supply services, energy services, and ancillary services
that will be offered.
The new metering system
to be developed and installed by EMR will benefit GSA facilities in
several ways:
- Reliable metering
is essential to collect data needed for power procurement. It will
help facilities when it comes time to negotiate with utilities for
electricity, natural gas, and other energy sources. The new metering
system will feature 15-minute interval data and be capable of integrating
real-time pricing (RTP) strategies.
- One goal of GSA is
to obtain electricity agreements that provide lower costs for higher
quality of services. By taking advantage of the opportunities presented
by new metering technologies, such as load management, there is
potential to reduce a significant amount of energy costs annually
at GSA facilities.
- The new metering
technology will also provide the raw data required by all facilities
and agencies to be reported to the Department of Energy as part
of Executive Order 13123.
EMR will also develop
a comprehensive report on the New York/New Jersey pilot program that
will provide details on each building's metering system, costs and
benefits, and lessons learned. The report will help GSA determine
the most practical, accurate, and cost-effective technology(ies) for
widespread application at GSA facilities across several states, as
well as help GSA determine the best value method for procurement of
metering systems.
Says EMR president Naresh
Khosla, "The comprehensive metering plan developed for these facilities
will allow for optimal load control through better demand-side management.
All energy consuming systems in each building, from chillers and boilers
to motors and air handling units to electrical and lighting systems
will be impacted to provide the best energy and cost savings results."
For additional information
on this or other EMR projects, contact Kate Kelly at (323)
874-3458, or at
kkellyemr@aol.com.
