The United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) and the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) were relocated to Ft Bragg, North Carolina in 2010. This was part of the Base Realignment and Closure mandated by Congress. Construction of the combined headquarters began in 2008 and completed in 2011. Upon completion of our facility, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the LEED Gold certification for new construction.The Green Boot program at Fort Bragg is designed for participating commands to address sustainability. FORSCOM and USARC play a vital role as a tenant Command on Ft Bragg within the program.
The key areas of sustainability are energy conservation and minimizing environmental impact. We have implemented several measures to reduce and control our energy consumption. The HVAC and lighting are controlled by a building automated system (BAS). This system is monitored 24/7. Our approach with the BAS is a monitoring based commissioning. By using this method, we have the ability to identify component/equipment issues and get it resolved in a timely manner. The BAS also gives us the ability to use occupied and unoccupied scheduling. Although areas of our facility are occupied 24/7, we can adjust and make changes necessary to conserve energy.
Another way we conserve energy and improve efficiency is by using variable frequency drives (VFD). All of the motors in the chiller plant and in the HVAC systems have VFD’s installed. We have the capability to use current limiting on our central energy plant. These are also monitored by the BAS. This helps us control peak energy consumption. Another measure to reduce our energy conservation is when replacement equipment or appliances are purchased, we use Energy Star rated appliances. Along with the Energy Star rated appliances, we have installed occupancy sensors in our break rooms, copier rooms, private offices and storage rooms. The occupancy sensors work with our lighting controls as override features. We installed them to catch the areas that are not used as often as the main facility areas.
There are numerous copier rooms in our facility. All of the copiers are equipped with energy savings features and use the sleep mode when not being used. Another area in the Green Boot program is environmental impact. We participate in Ft. Bragg's recycling program. This includes cardboard, cans, plastics, shredded paper, ink/toner cartridges, glass, batteries and light bulbs. The recycling bins are located in the break rooms and at the loading dock. Our recycling is picked up every two weeks. Water also has an important role with the environmental impact. In the restrooms, our sinks have motion detectors for on/off water cycles. The flush valves are 1 gallon per flush. The shower heads are 1 to 2 gallons per minute low flow. By doing this we have reduced our water consumption by 30 percent. Our landscaping sprinklers are controlled by a programmable Baseline controller. The sprinkler valves boxes have moisture sensors hardwired into the controller. This prevents over watering the lawn and controls on/off operation when raining.
Another area where we reduce our environmental impact is by using recycled mulch, pine straw and topsoil from the Ft. Bragg landfill when making landscaping improvements. The general appearance of a facility provides an inviting, organized and professional demeanor. Not only is the Green Boot program an achievement, it represents our employees willingness to see results. The recycled products collected from our facility are picked up by Ft. Bragg's Recycling Center. After the recycled products are separated, weighed and sold, the funds are returned back into the Morale Welfare and Recreation centers. The centers provide fitness, entertainment, recreation, education and other programs that enhance community life for Army soldiers, family members, retirees and its civilian workforce located on Ft. Bragg.
We have the opportunity to take part in any of the programs available. One of the challenges is this is a voluntary program. We can not force everyone to recycle, but we do encourage it by educating them. By placing recycling containers in every break room, kitchen and meeting areas, the opportunity is there. By recycling we help Ft. Bragg meet Federal, State and Army regulations and mandates waste diversion. Our recycling program produces 3,000 lbs. of cardboard and 600 lbs. of plastics/cans per month. Energy conservation can be challenging at times (based on data provided by Ft. Bragg Environmental Compliance Branch). One of our latest upgrades were replacing the halogen bulbs in all of the elevators. We upgraded to LED lights. we replaced 120 bulbs. Although the savings are minimal, the lighting went from 24 watts per bulb to 7 watts per bulb. The elevator lighting is always on because of safety. In a 24 hour period, we saved 48,960 watts just by replacing the bulbs. Another approach with energy conservation is our 24 hour monitoring of our Central Energy Plant.
As the outdoor temperature changes, we can adjust for real time situations. We have the ability to prevent energy waste by adjusting on/off cycles of our energy plant. The central energy plant houses the chillers, boilers, pumps and plate and frame heat exchanger. The plate and frame heat exchanger operates when the outdoor temperature is cold enough to use the cooling tower water to cool the facility, allowing the chillers to go in a stand by status. FORSCOM/USARC facilities team meets twice a week to discuss all projects and improvements with the Facility Manager. The stakeholders have input on issues and responses are provided in return. A sharing of communication between all parties provides for a better ran program and informed parties.
In-house Participants: Tony Jones, Facility Manager Bobby Warren, Facility Engineer Technician Robert Frank, Quality Assurance/Quality Control Maintenance Technicians: Roberto Delgado, Timothy Hicks, Tyrone Williams, Demetrius Mcglohn, Ben Harris, Lance Vanwormer, Steve King, Metasys Monitoring Technicians: Patrick Donahue, Keith Troutman, Facility Escorts: Ricky Bell, Shawn Kimp, Darrell Coleman, Don Hamilton, Ken Headley.
