Industry News

Washington Business Journal

Summary

Congress and the Supreme Court are saving an estimated $3.5 million a year in heating and cooling costs. The National Institutes of Health report its 300-acre Bethesda campus, which includes a 240-bed research hospital, clinical research laboratories and a data center, are saving approximately $12 million a year and cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions equivalent to that produced by 10,000 vehicles. The common denominator is combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration.

CHP is an energy-efficient technology used in more than 4,400 facilities across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. CHP technology uses natural gas to simultaneously generate electric and thermal energy on-site. The thermal is captured and utilized to provide space heating, domestic hot water and central air conditioning. For property developers and building owners, this means increased energy efficiencies and power reliability, should there be interruptions to the grid, while achieving lower overall operating costs.

Environmental impact is among the global benefits of CHP. By sourcing power from a blended energy portfolio, that includes CHP, developers and building owners and operators are actively decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing fuel efficiencies and saving money. According to Julian Varo, senior sales engineer at Washington Gas, grid electricity transports 30 to 35 percent of useful energy to customers due to transmission generation and line loss, while electricity generated from natural gas directly on-site transports 93 to 95 percent of useful energy. With higher useful energy, customers utilizing CHP will benefit from lower operating costs and reduced GHG emissions.

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