Building Buy-In for American Embassies: U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua

This case study describes an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) completed in 2014 by Lockheed Martin at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua. The project achieved a 54 percent energy reduction across nine buildings through a combination of LED lighting retrofits, HVAC optimizations, and the installation of a 956 kW solar PV system, which is the State Department’s largest overseas system.

• The 2014 ESPC at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua achieved a 54 percent energy reduction across nine buildings. Key energy conservation measures included 2,238 LED replacements, high-efficiency transformer upgrades, chiller-plant optimization with staged loading, and the installation of a 956 kW high-efficiency solar PV system.
• The project's 956 kW solar PV installation is the largest overseas system of the State Department and is expected to offset 37% of the energy consumption of the retrofitted site. Implementation overcame a lack of local utility incentives and staff aesthetic concerns by using carport canopies on existing parking lots and utilizing financial modeling from the Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
• Significant energy savings were achieved in buildings with an average age of only seven years. LED-lighting retrofits and HVAC unit replacements saved more than 460 MWh and 390 MWh per year, respectively. The reduction in cooling loads from the lighting retrofit allowed for the downsizing of replacement HVAC equipment, which reduced up-front capital costs.
• To manage the challenge of embassy management rotating every two years, the OBO project manager implemented a memorandum of agreement (MOA). This document memorialized approvals and project details, serving as required reading for all incoming staff in Managua to ensure continuity of knowledge.

APA

RMI (2015). Building Buy-In for American Embassies: U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua. https://rmi.org/resources/blog_2015_09_15_building_buy_in_for_american_embassies_nicaragua/

Chicago

RMI. Building Buy-In for American Embassies: U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua. 2015. https://rmi.org/resources/blog_2015_09_15_building_buy_in_for_american_embassies_nicaragua/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Building Buy-In for American Embassies: U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua |date=15 September 2015 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/blog_2015_09_15_building_buy_in_for_american_embassies_nicaragua/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2015building, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Building Buy-In for American Embassies: U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/blog_2015_09_15_building_buy_in_for_american_embassies_nicaragua/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }