Mayor Greg Ballard has detailed upgrades to the City-County Building (CCB) that the city says are reducing the city’s environmental footprint and resulting in guaranteed energy savings for the next 15 years.
The sustainability measures – including heating, cooling and ventilation system improvements and installation of a geothermal heat recovery chiller system – are transforming the CCB and making it a model for green building in Indianapolis, according to the city.
The retrofit upgrades will decrease electricity consumption by 39 percent and steam consumption by 93 percent. The innovative improvements within the CCB include:
- Heating, cooling and ventilation system improvements.
- Expanded building controls.
- Lighting occupancy sensors.
- Installation of renewable energy with a geothermal heat-recovery chiller system and solar thermal and solar PV systems.
- Solar and wind powered LED plaza lights.
Water conservation measures also were implemented at the CCB as part of the Building Authority’s regularly scheduled maintenance and capital projects and will reduce water consumption by 40 percent. The measures include:
- Low-flow plumbing fixtures in every public restroom.
- 1.6 gallon per-flush commodes and efficient urinals.
- Turbine-driven, touchless restroom faucets powered by the incoming water stream.
The upgrades were funded primarily through a guaranteed energy savings contract, with supplemental funding provided from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.
The upgrades are part of the Sustainable Facilities Initiative, an $18 million investment in energy-efficiency and water conservation measures in 61 city facilities implemented by the Office of Sustainability under the direction of Mayor Ballard.
This major investment reportedly will result in a total guaranteed energy and water savings for the City of Indianapolis of $1.7 million annually for the next 15 years and a 25 percent reduction in energy use across the target building portfolio utilized by five city departments.
