Indy's clean, green fleet

We've been writing about quite a few energy efficiency projects our office has funded, but that's not all we do.  If you're in the Indy metro area, you might have seen this on the news yesterday -- but if not, we wanted to make sure to pass along info on the City of Indianapolis's green(er) fleet and how OED was involved.

The Office of Energy Development, partnering with the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition, received a $10.1 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program.  The City of Indianapolis receive a $318,300 grant from our office, and just yesterday, they unveiled the fleet.  Indianapolis, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, City's Department of Public works, and the Marion County Sheriff's Department, now have 25 hybrid Ford Fusions, 10 2009 F250 trucks that run on propane (autogas), 1 2009 Ford E250 van, and 10 2011 Ford E350 vans running on bi-fuel autogas.

Propane is a clean-burning, domestically available fuel with an average fuel cost of around $2.50.  Propane has 24% less carbon emissions than unleaded fuel, with 90% of the efficiency.  It's estimated that the gas and maintenance savings for the propane conversions is $15,000 per truck.

We should also mention that the Ford Fusion hybrids average 30 miles per gallon.  These are replacing Crown Victoria models that average 20 miles per gallon.

Many thanks to the City of Indianapolis and the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition for making this such a successful project!

Eye Specialists - another EECBG recipient

The mission of Eye Specialists of Indiana, one of OED's EECBG recipients, is to help patients see better.  Since patient care is of the utmost importance, the staff of Eye Specialists does everything they can to make patients more comfortable.

This was recently accomplished through adding a new 15 SEER chiller to their current system.  Their old system was more than 20 years old and was a significant monthly expense for the organization.  This new system is nearly twice as efficient as the old and is expected to cut costs in half, saving over $3,000 per year.

Many thanks to Eye Specialists of Indiana for allowing us to take a site visit and to learn more about your organization.  We wish you the best!

Eye Specialists of Indiana is a recipient of an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) award, administered through the U.S. Department of Energy through the Indiana Office of Energy Development.  EECBG was funded through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Visiting Bosma Industries for the Blind

Bosma Industries for the Blind is another great example of an EECBG recipient with a story to be told. But first, a little background --

Bosma Industries for the Blind in Indianapolis enters into contracts with companies to package and store items for those companies.  This packaging and storage takes place in Bosma’s very own warehouse and requires a lot of hard work and dedication.  So what makes Bosma so unique?  It's the fact that the company hires visually-impaired individuals to do this work.

Grant money was used to retrofit every single light fixture in the 67,000 ft² warehouse located in Indianapolis.  That’s a lot of lights (and savings)!  In fact, savings in energy costs will total about $6,000 annually, reaching nearly $138,000 over the course of the project’s lifetime.  Quarterly kWh savings will be in the neighborhood of 188,000!

It was such a pleasure to visit the warehouse and meet all of the phenomenal individuals working there.  Bosma Industries for the Blind does great work encouraging self-sufficiency and self-esteem for the visually-impaired.  We thank you for all you do!

Bosma Industries for the Blind is a recipient of an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) award, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Indiana Office of Energy Development.  EECBG is funded through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Mt. Zion Daycare update

During the summer, Megan, one of OED's program managers, and Emily, our summer intern, visited Mt. Zion Academy, one of OED's EECBG recipients.  Some of the projects included installing high-efficiency T8 light fixtures in place of old T12 fluorescents, replacing incandescent EXIT signs with new LED signs, and installing high-efficiency wall heaters and furnaces.  It was great to see all of the children at the academy enjoying their newly retrofitted classrooms.

Mt. Zion Daycare is located in inner-city Indianapolis.  These outdoor lights not only help the organization save money, but add increased security too.

 

Mt. Zion is continuing to add new renovations to the school, and these steps towards energy-efficiency are a part of an effort to make the academy even more comfortable for both the staff and children working at or attending the daycare.  And of course the savings have been very positive as well.  The daycare saves about $400 or 2,500 kWh per month. 

It was great to see these changes affecting so many lives in this exciting way!  Both the children and staff at the daycare seemed very excited about the new additions and other future energy plans.

Mt. Zion Daycare received an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) award, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Energy Efficiency Efforts at the IMA

Our EECBG (Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant) program has allowed many companies and communities throughout the state to greatly increase their energy efficiency.  We're all excited about all of the new and innovative projects that have been implemented as we work towards making Indiana a more energy-efficient state.  As you've noticed, our program managers (Patrick and Megan) have been hitting the roads lately to visit our grant recipients, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art was one we had the pleasure to monitor recently.

The $92,000 grant IMA received from us -- which they had to match dollar for dollar, by the way -- was dedicated to a new boiler and lighting upgrades in the parking garage.  The new boiler is 85% efficient, a significant climb from the previous system’s efficiency.  Additionally, the lighting improved with the replacement of the 175w halide bulb to the 89w ecoparking Light in the light fixtures.

We spared you the pictures of the lights and boiler.  We just figured it'd be better for you to head on over there and check out the museum for yourself!  (Seriously -- if you haven't been, what are you waiting for?!)

The Indianapolis Museum of Art received an EECBG award from the Indiana Office of Energy Development.  The EECBG program is funded through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) through the U.S. Department of Energy.

Catching up with the Indiana Community Action Agency

Last month, Megan, one of OED's program managers, visited the Indiana Community Action Association here in Indianapolis.  This association offers programs such as Head Start, homeownership counseling, and foster grandparents.  With the help of an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) from OED, they are now able to save some money on utility bills and encourage energy efficiency as well.

The Indiana Community Action Association's grant totaled $14,875 and was used to retrofit the entire building with LED lighting.  Forgive us, but we didn't include pictures here, because well ... we've all seen lights, right?

So far, the organization has saved 12,520 kWh.  We look forward to seeing what else may be in store!

Visiting Eagle Creek Aviation Services

Last month, Patrick, one of OED's program managers, had the chance to visit Eagle Creek Aviation Services here in Indianapolis.  Eagle Creek Aviation Services received a $100,000 Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) from us in 2009, which they matched with $100,000 of their own funds.

Eagle Creek Aviation Services used EECBG funds to replace 547 old light fixtures and to add 125 motion/occupancy control fixtures throughout the building.

While Patrick was there, many employees commented on the vast difference between the old and new light fixtures, saying that even the smallest details on the planes are now much easier to see and work with.

It doesn't end there, though.  Eagle Creek Aviation also replaced four HVAC units with new, high efficiency units, and added four new HVAC zones to the building.

Many thanks to the great staff at Eagle Creek Aviation Services for allowing us to visit and for working to become more energy efficient.

Eagle Creek Aviation Services received these American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars through the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, administered through the Indiana Office of Energy Development.

Catching up with the Southside Animal Shelter

The practical application of energy efficiency has a larger scope than many might realize, and we stretched our EECBG dollars all around the state to a variety of local governments, small businesses, and non-profits.  One of our recipients was the Southside Animal Shelter, which one of OED's program managers, Megan, visited last week.

The South Side Animal Shelter used their award to upgrading three specific areas - the summer house, main shelter, and main office.  The old heaters and HVAC systems were outdated, and seeing as the shelter houses quite a few more pets than your average household, the decision to upgrade these components was logical.

We don't want to sway you or anything to adopt, but here are some pictures of some of the shelter pets enjoying their new settings.  (What can we say?  We tried to photograph the new energy efficiency improvements, but these animals are much cuter than a new HVAC system!)

Many thanks to all the great staff and volunteers of the Southside Animal Shelter for a job well done.  We hope you're enjoying your new HVAC systems and all the savings that they're bringing!

P.S.  This grant was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Indiana Office of Energy Development's Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.