DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS USING ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS: SUCCESS STORIES

The report analyzes eight case studies—seven federal and one municipal—that utilized Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) to achieve deep energy retrofits. These projects cumulatively exceeded 600 billion BTUs in energy savings with an average energy use reduction of 58%. The document identifies six overarching best practices: setting aggressive long-term goals, engaging diverse stakeholders, establishing strong support systems, adopting a 'clean sheet' design mindset, using iterative and holistic design processes, and incorporating ongoing feedback and occupant involvement.

• The report identifies six best practices for deep energy retrofits: setting aggressive long-term goals, engaging diverse stakeholders, establishing a support system, starting with a 'clean sheet' design mindset, using an iterative and holistic design process, and incorporating feedback and ongoing involvement.
• Integrative design can lead to significant capital savings by reducing the required capacity of replacement equipment. For example, at the New Carrollton Federal Building, an LED lighting retrofit reduced the required cooling capacity of the chiller system by over 40%.
• The Almeric L. Christian Federal Building on Saint Croix is noted as the first known federal ESPC to achieve net-zero energy use, resulting in annual savings exceeding $500,000.
• Multi-phase project delivery allows teams to capture immediate savings while applying lessons learned to later, more complex phases. At Naval Air Station Oceana, a four-phase project is projected to reduce energy use by over 40% across more than 100 buildings, saving over $6 million annually.
• Bundling short-term and long-term measures can make otherwise financially unviable projects possible. At Fort Buchanan, combining measures with 7–12 year paybacks with those having 18–33 year paybacks enabled the installation of wind generation and reflective roof membranes.
• The City of Boulder achieved a 25% energy reduction across 66 buildings, fulfilling its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. The project utilized a behavior-change program called PowerED to generate an additional 10% energy savings through education and performance feedback.
• At the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, a 54% energy reduction was achieved across nine buildings. To overcome a lack of local utility incentives for solar PV, the project team used third-party modeling from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy to build buy-in.
• The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) achieved 27% energy savings across 12 presidential libraries while adhering to strict thermal and lighting requirements for document preservation (below 65 degrees and 50% relative humidity).

APA

RMI (2015). DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS USING ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS: SUCCESS STORIES. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Deep_Energy_Retrofits_Using_ESPC.pdf

Chicago

RMI. DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS USING ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS: SUCCESS STORIES. 2015. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Deep_Energy_Retrofits_Using_ESPC.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS USING ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS: SUCCESS STORIES |date=August 2015 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Deep_Energy_Retrofits_Using_ESPC.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2015deep, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS USING ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS: SUCCESS STORIES}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2015}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Deep_Energy_Retrofits_Using_ESPC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }