Commercial Energy Efficiency Institutional Net Zero News
U.S. GSA awards Johnson Controls $91-MIL project for landmark buildings

April 16, 2021 – Johnson Controls reports it has been awarded a $91-million US project with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to improve facilities and energy efficiencies of landmark buildings.

The company says GSA is upgrading building technologies as part of the National Deep Energy Retrofit (NDER) program—pursuing net zero energy consumption “while achieving energy goals prescribed in various federal Energy Acts”.

Buildings receiving facility improvements over the next three years include the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, New Executive Office Building, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Jackson Place, Winder Building and Civil Service Building.

“Partnering with the GSA to make these historic buildings more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient is an honour, and we look forward to upgrading more buildings around the U.S. in the coming years […],” said George Oliver, chair & CEO, Johnson Controls.

Johnson Controls’ portfolio of smart building systems will provide the physical components for the upgrades, while OpenBlue software solutions will support the management of building operations. The company’s Federal Systems’ team will perform much of the work associated with the project. Execution is anticipated to begin in May.

Overall project objectives include:

• Reducing energy and water consumption
• Improving efficiency of lighting, water and HVAC systems
• Transforming building automation systems
• Implementing cost-effective retrofits with paybacks of 25 years or less
• Completing construction with minimal disruption to tenants
• A whole-building approach to the various energy conservation measures

GSA’s NDER program is achieving greater than 34% energy savings over its portfolio of buildings included in the program, reports Johnson.