DOD Energy Monitoring and Control Systems: Potential for Nonenergy Savings; Better Planning and Guidance Needed

To help energy conservation goals for federally owned buildings, the Department of Defense (DOD) is installing Energy Monitoring and Control Systems (EMCS) at military installations. EMCS provided central control over heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems to maintain temperatures at predetermined levels. Personnel requirements can be reduced through the use of EMCS for centralized monitoring of boiler plants, water treatment, and sewage disposal systems. Since fiscal year 1976, Congress has appropriated about $144 million for 131 projects at 115 locations of the Energy Conservation Investment Program under DOD. Although energy systems can contribute to economical and efficient operation of facilities, present funding criteria, which require projects to be justified on the basis of energy savings, do not permit DOD to take full advantage of other savings such as reductions in staffing needs.