Energy - NASA costs eased

Oak Ridge National Laboratory's efforts at improving energy efficiency could save NASA more than $820,000. Mike MacDonald and Julia Kelley of ORNL's Commercial Buildings and Industrial Energy Efficiency Group led a review of the design and construction proposal of 12 packaged modular boiler systems at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The new facilities are being decoupled from an inefficient central plant by installing 29 individual boilers and six water heaters sized to meet the needs of areas where they are located at the space center. NASA management asked ORNL to review the original construction proposal submitted by Florida Power and Light. The ORNL review and input helped convince NASA to proceed with the project, which replaces a deteriorating infrastructure, reduces maintenance requirements and mission risks, avoids future capital outlays and improves safety. The funding source is the DOE-EERE Federal Energy Management program.