Gresham Smith Selected to Provide TVA with Energy Management Guidance
Gresham Smith is proud to announce that the firm has been selected by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation’s largest government-owned power provider, to assess energy usage at the organization’s facilities and provide recommended energy conservation measures. The recommendations will meet the requirements outlined in the Energy Independence and Security Act, reducing the environmental impact and cost of TVA’s operations, improving the United States’ energy security, and providing a roadmap for a more resilient, sustainable future.
“TVA is already making great strides towards cleaner energy and operations and we’re proud to partner with them to continue moving the needle forward on sustainability,” said John Horst, P.E., LEED AP, Project Manager at Gresham Smith. “The energy evaluation we previously conducted for the organization gives us a familiarity with TVA’s operations and facilities, which will enable us to once again recommend cost-effective energy conservation measures that will enable TVA to continue providing reliable, low-cost energy that makes life better for the people they serve.”
Gresham Smith will first conduct a preliminary feasibility audit, visiting TVA facilities to assess the current conditions and energy usage in five key areas: lighting; energy management systems; water conservation improvements; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, motors and variable frequency drives; and architectural improvements. The project team will then combine the information with historical building data, contractor data and life cycle cost data to develop energy conservation strategies and plan for implementation. Energy conservation measures could include interior and exterior lighting upgrades, lighting control improvements, HVAC upgrades, window replacements, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, and new water conservation devices.
This project is a continuation of Gresham Smith’s relationship with TVA. The firm previously evaluated 49 TVA facilities in search of the most effective strategies to improve energy performance, protect and conserve water, enhance indoor environmental quality and reduce environmental impact of materials to meet requirements from Executive Order 13123: Greening the Government through Efficient Energy Management and Executive Order 13514: Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance. The efforts impacted more than 700,000 square feet of building space for TVA and the project team anticipates savings of more than 1.7 million BTU of energy and more than 1 million gallons of water each year.