The Brookwood Community “GreenBrook Energy Program” Brookwood is an innovative, God-centered, 485-acre community located just west of Houston in Brookshire, Texas. It is gaining national and international attention because the citizens who live and work there, close to 200 adults with functional disabilities, are making extraordinary contributions to the world. Each has been taught real job skills and is gainfully employed in several self-contained enterprises on campus. While these enterprises contribute over $5 mm in operating revenues annually (underwriting 40% of the missions annual budget), the real benefit is the sense of accomplishment the citizens derive from being contributing members of society. This is all accomplished without any government funding.
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The Brookwood Community GreenBrook Energy Case Study
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The Brookwood Community
“GreenBrook Energy Program”
Brookwood is an innovative, God-centered, 485-acre community located just west of Houston in
Brookshire, Texas. It is gaining national and international attention because the citizens who live
and work there, close to 200 adults with functional disabilities, are making extraordinary
contributions to the world. Each has been taught real job skills and is gainfully employed in
several self-contained enterprises on campus. While these enterprises contribute over $5 mm in
operating revenues annually (underwriting 40% of the missions annual budget), the real benefit
is the sense of accomplishment the citizens derive from being contributing members of society.
This is all accomplished without any government funding.
The campus consists of eight group homes, two single-family staff homes, a residential Inn,
health and dental clinic, Worship Center, enterprise buildings, 47 greenhouses, Gift Retail Shop
and Center, the Café at Brookwood, and several other support buildings.
Defining the problem: Brookwood and Sustainability
Brookwood is funded through tuition ($1,000/month for non-residential “citizens” and
$4,300/month for residential citizens), private sector donations and sales from its entrepreneurial
enterprises. It is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. All of their building, furnishings,
equipment and vehicles are donated. Individuals, foundations, corporations, civic groups,
churches and other groups help support the community’s day-to-day operating needs.
Brookwood requires a great deal of energy and water to create and sell the products they
produce, as well as to cool, heat and provide water to the homes, enterprise buildings,
horticulture operation, retail gift shops, and the Café at Brookwood. Utility costs at Brookwood
are rising as 1) the Community is growing and 2) the costs of energy are trending upwards due to
the large economic growth in Texas. Utility costs are the largest single operating expense at
Brookwood. They currently equate to over $600k annually. Brookwood spends approximately
$464k on electric, $85k on gas and $80k on water each year. While water costs are the lowest of
the utilities, Brookwood is currently paying one of the highest rates in Texas. The City of
Brookshire provides their water and sewage but due to Brookwood’s location (outside the City’s
supply jurisdiction), they have been able to charge higher rates. By way of example, typical
municipal utility district rates, like the Cinco Ranch area, charge $2 to $3 per thousand gallons.
Brookwood is paying nearly $12 per thousand gallons.
Brookwood will be adding new homes, zoning the campus, and enlarging the enterprise
buildings (expanding the business) in the next two years. It is projected that their electric demand
will be over 1.5 Megawatts which, if the costs of power remain the same, will increase their
utility expense to over $700k annually. Water usage and costs undoubtedly will increase. It is
imperative that Brookwood control these costs so that the Community can remain sustainable.
Other issues: Brookwood entered into a 5 year electric contract when gas prices were at an all
time high, and the contract is far above market. Most of the buildings and houses at Brookwood
are old and energy efficiency is poor, leading to higher usage and costs.
Brookwood, as a policy, will not enter into any debt contracts. They did this to acquire their land
in the early 1980s and nearly lost the property due to high interest expense.
Any new programs that are started at Brookwood (other than Board members) cannot utilize its
existing private sector donors. They cannot dilute this important part of their annual budget and
obviously want to increase the number of new donors.
Problem to solve: We would like to completely eliminate Brookwood’s high and growing utility
costs and create a profit center from an historic utility expense center to help Brookwood become
more sustainable.
Borrowing Sources: Creating a multifaceted solution
Industrial, commercial and utility sector power contracts and plants
Large industrials and commercial enterprises often re-negotiate contracts that are out of market.
In addition, when power demand is significant, and an enterprise has the water, land, and
resources, it also will often install their own power generation plants. Most of these are
hydrocarbon-based, like natural gas fired power plants. However, installation of a hydrocarbon
power plant is nearly impossible to do in Houston and surrounding areas due to the ozone air
issues (smog) and the required compliance costs.
Municipal water systems- It is possible to supply and treat water and sewage respectively for
large communities with centralized systems. These systems are not incredibly expensive and can
be maintained at reasonable costs with reasonable maintenance.
Solar Power Plants-Solar PV plants have become a great deal more efficient and costs in the
last 3 years have dropped by over 50%. Manufacturing economies of scale, smarter and shorter
installation processes and more efficient solar panels are the drivers for the decrease in cost. Tax
incentives are also a driver.
Commercial customers like General Motors, Costco, Kohls, Wal-Mart, and Ikea have begun to
install rooftop solar on their large buildings to hold down energy costs and bolster brand images.
Hakan Nordkvist, Ikea’s Head of Sustainable Innovation, said “Our commitment is to go energy
independent by 2020….we have said we will own and produce more renewable energy
production than what we consume as a total group”.
Homeowners are beginning to install roof top solar across the US. Even billboards, street lights,
natural gas and oil wells, and parking meters are utilizing solar PV panels.
Wind Power Plants-Over 60k MW have been installed in the US. Efficiencies have also
increased greatly due to longer and lighter blades and materials. Longer blades have larger wind
swept diameters, which help to produce more power. Higher hub heights produce higher power
output, because greater wind speeds exist at higher elevations and now can be economic in
traditional non-windy areas like Houston. Small communities in California are installing their
own microturbines. In addition, Walmart now purchases wind power under long term agreements
to supply its stores and warehouses in Texas. Industrials along the Gulf Coast are exploring the
installation of their own wind systems to control rising energy costs.
Defective Products - Ross Dress For Less and Marshalls sell defective name brand clothes with
slight blemishes at a large discount to consumers.
Energy Audits- Industrial and commercial enterprises with high utility costs will often conduct
third party energy audits to identify areas in which they can improve their efficiencies.
Horse Stables – requires good flat land with good highway access.
Organic Farming- Several similar communities, like Cooper Riis Healing Farm Community
(www.cooperriis.org) have used organic farming as a project to not only help the residents have
a sense of purpose, responsibility, and accomplishment, but also to help supply fresh, healthy
food for the community.
Oil and gas industry- Oil and gas drilling is a century plus old business that can be very
lucrative for a large landowner in an oil and gas rich area.
Fund Raising Process- Brookwood does a great job in this field. They have a development
group and an Advisory Board that work together in conducting fund raising events. The main
fund raisers are the annual golf tournament, Evening in the Garden, and the bi-annual upscale
luncheon Gala. They create Host Committees with Chairs to help raise awareness through
In summary, this will include: Re-negotiating the commercial power contract (like
industrial/commercial customers), conducting an energy audit of the campus (like
industrial/commercial customers), installing solar PV panels and wind turbine(s) (like utilities,
Wal-Mart, Ikea etc), utilizing organic farming to enhance revenue and partially fund projects
(like Cooper Riis Healing Farm Community), creating awareness through Social Media such as
a new website, LinkedIn (with solar, wind and water company contacts), Facebook, Instagram,
and utilize fundraising events for new Brookwood donors to help create awareness and fund the
GreenBrook projects (like the Brookwood Charity events).
Contract Re-negotiation
We will re-negotiate the power contract with the current electric provider by either extending the
contract out, buying out the contract for $80k by raising funds, or starting over. We will invite
the executives to tour Brookwood to help them understand Brookwood and their needs.
Energy Efficiency
We will conduct an energy audit of the complex and determine the areas that will be best suited
to control costs and make Brookwood more efficient.
Green Resources
We cannot use hydrocarbon power plants to help power Brookwood due to the Houston and
surrounding area ozone issue (smog) and fuel price fluctuation. However, we will utilize Green
Resources to help Brookwood’s sustainability and the environment. Green Resources such as
wind, water and solar do not deplete like other forms of energy generation and by definition is
sustainable.
And by using Green Resources, we protect our environment and improve our health and our
community. Applying Green Resource technologies and energy efficiency controls at the
Brookwood Community will help:
Lower energy and water costs to the Community Lower Citizen product costs to the market thereby increasing margins Create a profit center from a traditional utility expense center Help promote a sustainable environment for the Community Accentuate the learning environment within and outside the Community
We will install wind and solar power facilities by 2018 in such quantities that exceed the 1.5
MW demand at Brookwood and we will sell the excess power supply to the market thereby
creating a profit center from an historic utility expense center. We will also install potable
groundwater wells to significantly lower Brookwood’s water expense.
We call this The GreenBrook Energy Program – see map below.