WWW.CLEANENERGYRESOURCETEAMS.ORG CASE STUDY: LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENERGY EFFI CIENCY What’s Happenin’ in Hennepin?: Hennepin County’s Energy Efficiency Projects Written by Ryan Sparrow • August 2012 Hennepin County has done a lot to become more energy efficient, and they did it fast. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the county received $2.8 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. The EECBG grant allowed the county’s property services department to do an impressive number of building efficiency projects. The county began with an exacting 18-month research process to evaluate energy use in county buildings and identify which buildings needed ener- gy efficiency retrofits the most. County staff worked to design efficiency solutions that provided fiscal returns, lowered carbon emissions, created jobs, and reduced taxpayer burdens. After a thorough evalua- tion, Hennepin County focused its energy conserva- tion efforts on 12 county facilities, including the Hennepin County Medical Center, the Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central, the Health Services Building, and the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC). Building Recommissioning Both the Hennepin County Medical Center and the Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central received extensive heating and ventilation system adjustments to make sure the buildings were operat- ing at the optimal level of efficiency. The adjust- ments performed on the Medical Center have annual cost-savings of $590,000 with a projected two year payback, and the adjustments on the Central Library have annual cost-savings of $102,000 with a project- ed 4 year payback. Hennepin County Property Services made an agreement with the City of Minneapolis to receive $117,000 of its EECBG Grant to help fund the work done at the Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central, a landmark in down- town Minneapolis that has sustainability elements incorporated into the building design. Lighting Retrofits Through a Facility Cost Share Grant (also part of EECBG funding), the State of Minnesota matched 50 percent of the project costs up to $150,000 for light- ing retrofits and a replacement of the lighting control system at the Hennepin County Health Services Building. The upgraded lighting fixtures and con- Project Snapshot Location: Hennepin County, Minnesota. Energy Saved: Combined $967,000 in energy savings. Type of technology: Energy efficiency; lighting. EECBG Grant: Awarded: $2.9 million. Rebates: $40,000 utility rebate. Community Benefits: Taxpayers save money, more reliable and safer traffic signals. A worker installs energy-efficient lighting at the Hennepin County Government Center. CERTs PARTNERS University of Minnesota Extension and Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships Eureka Recycling Southwest Regional Development Commission The Minnesota Project Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources FUNDING This project was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Minnesota Department of Commerce through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).