Case Studies
State of Nevada
The Challenge
The State of Nevada needed to upgrade the lighting, air conditioning and control systems and lower maintenance costs at several buildings in Las Vegas. Also, the Sawyer State Office Building (shown above) had over five acres of grass surrounding it, which was consuming an excessive amount of precious water for irrigation.
Our Solution
To save electrical costs, Ameresco performed a lighting retrofit at the Belrose and Bradley Buildings, upgrading old lighting technology to T8 lamps with electronic ballasts and reflectors. The chilled water system at the Bradley Building was supplied with tower free cooling, and the controls at both the Bradley and Belrose Buildings were upgraded to Direct Digital Control and tied into the State Public Works board computer system.
But the unique feature of this project was the conversion of over six acres of turf to desert xeriscape, saving over ten million gallons per year of irrigation water and substantially reducing landscape maintenance costs. This project also included a xeriscape demonstration garden to illustrate the benefits of saving water and the beauty of native plantings. e•three CES also provided the design and installation of a fully handicapped accessible pathway through the demonstration area.
Impact
These measures increased occupant comfort, made it easier to see, and reduced the cost to operate and maintain these facilities. The landscape conversion saves over ten million gallons annually, and is the largest conversion of turf to desert landscaping in Nevada. The project is meeting and exceeding the guaranteed savings, and increases in the cost of water since the completion have shortened the payback period substantially. And all of the unanticipated savings go directly to the state, making this project highly successful.
