The Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)
requested an update of the original market assessment done by Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory (PNNL) in 2001. This original analysis evaluated water
conservation opportunities and answered key questions necessary for FEMP to make
recommendations on whether or not to proceed with strategies for water conservation in
the Federal sector, primarily through the development of water conservation Energy
Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC). The update's intent is to reevaluate the cost-effective
water savings potential in the Federal sector, which incorporates new
technologies and recent available data on Federal water use, and also to make
recommendations on strategies that will assist FEMP in developing a path forward to
assist Federal agencies in effective water management.
This updated assessment is based on a new analytical approach that utilizes newly
available data and technologies. The new approach fine-tunes the original assessment by
using actual Federal water use, which is now tracked by DOE (as compared to using
estimated water use). Federal building inventory data is also used to disseminate water
use by end-use technology in the Federal sector. In addition, this analysis also examines
the current issues and obstacles that face performance contracting of water efficiency
projects at Federal sites.
A summary table of the cost-effective savings potential results of this updated
evaluation is provided in this paper, along with bulleted points of key findings and
recommendations of the update. Includes table.