Green Buildings

On December 3, 2007, the Board of Supervisors adopted an amendment to the Policy Plan volume of the Comprehensive Plan that incorporated support for green building practices and that served to promote the application of these practices.  Fairfax County has adopted green building policies addressing its own capital projects as well as private sector development.  Under the Sustainable Development Policy for Capital Projects (adopted by the Board of Supervisors on February 11, 2008), county projects greater than 10,000 square feet in size have a goal of achieving LEED^® Silver certification; smaller facilities are recommended for LEED certification. 

The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services has also accomplished innovative energy saving measures in many of its industrial plant processes:

• The Noman M. Cole, Jr. Pollution Control Plant uses methane gas from landfills in its sludge burning process.
  
  
• Methane gas is also used to generate electricity at the I-95 Landfill site.The Division of Solid Waste collects and transports trash in Fairfax County to produce electricity in the Waste to Energy Facility.
  
  
• The Fairfax Center and Crosspointe Fire Stations, both of which are green building project, opened recently.
  
  
• DPWES is incorporating the green building approach on nearly 20 active building development projects.

Energy Efficiency Programs

The county’s Facilities Management Department has started an energy-efficiency program  for the buildings in its inventory. In 2005, 4,232,639 kWh were saved and in 2006 an additional 2,398,036 kWh were saved. Natural gas consumption was also reduced by 111,440 therms per year. Cost avoidance has been over $4.0 million since 2001.  These savings would be higher but for the new square footage that came on line during those fiscal years. The department has set an internal goal of a 1 percent reduction in kBTU/SF, and recent numbers show an annual reduction averaging 1.9 percent. The annual savings are cumulative; therefore, after a 10-year period between 10 to 20 percent reductions in energy usage per square foot is expected. 

In addition to using green building technology on an expansion to one of its recreation centers, the Fairfax County Park Authority has initiated lighting retrofits, energy efficient motor upgrades, and automated controls at eight recreation facilities, as part of its energy management effort.  

• Lighting Retrofits ($107,120)- installation of T8 lamps and electronic ballasts, LED exit signs, replacment of 400 watt-HID lamps with 300-watt HID lamps, compact fluorescent lamps vs. incandescent lamps, and occupancy sensors at targeted locations.  Annual savings are estimated at $60,358 per year.
  
  
• Control Installation ($234,840)- Web-based wireless control of key mechanical systems to allow automatic run time scheduling, phased start up to avoid peak demand utility penalty charges, remote access and run time history reporting.  Annual savings are estimated at $70,493 per year.
  
  
• Motor Replacement ($43,260) - replacing 20 hp or larger motors, with 95% (or even higher) efficiency optimizing units for pool pumps and air handling units.  Annual savings are estimated at $16,069 per year.

Once the project is complete, in late 2008, the Park Authority will reduce costs and energy consumption by 16% in the facilities currently operating with antiquated systems, while paying for itself within 2.7 years.  These energy savings retrofit replacements will reap long-term, system-wide environmental and cost benefits.The Park Authority is committed to programmatically addressing energy management and has established an internal position to coordinate energy management initiatives and conservation throughout the agency.