Media Release

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - In keeping with the Energy Reduction and Water Conservation Program initiated by the Board of County Commissioners, Alachua County Administrative Services' Facilities Management Division recently completed a Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) project at the County's Administration Building.  The new system will reduce energy consumption and save over $43,000 annually. The system qualified for GRU's Rebate Program, and during the October 13, 2009, Regular County Commission meeting, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners was presented a rebate check for $40,000.

This project includes the replacement of an old and inefficient HVAC system with an energy efficient, and state of the art McQuay Centrifugal Chiller, replacement of the original cooling tower with a more energy efficient one (lowering the power consumption), and the installation of an energy efficient Benchmark Boiler and pumps.  The new system reduces both gas and electricity, resulting in a major reduction in energy use at the County�s Administration Building.  The installation of this unit stands to ensure noticeable savings in maintenance and repair cost, as well.

During the project design phase, Bryan Schneider, the Capital Project Coordinator, worked with Ms. Atawa Rollins, Large Account Manager with Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), qualifying the project under the Customized Business Rebate Program.

"We have already seen a remarkable reduction in energy consumption with the recent completion of the lighting upgrade project involving the exchanging of over 29,000 T8-32 watt bulbs with a the more energy efficient T8-25 watt bulbs," states Alachua County Facilities Manager, Charlie Jackson.  "Just the lighting replacement alone resulted in over $1200/month reduction in electrical use.  We should see considerably more savings as we continue to surge with the implementation of more energy conservation measures (ECMs) that are being researched and installed by Charley Balanis, including maximizing the use of technology by enabling staff to control lighting and shut off all nonessential power consuming devices after hours."  Mr. Jackson ends by adding, "Reducing energy costs is a byproduct savings of creating 'SMART' buildings and is the right thing to do, as it helps in lowering operating costs while reducing the carbon footprint."  

For more information, contact Facilities Manager, Charlie Jackson at 352-374-5229.