This is one of a series of technology fact sheets created to help housing designers and builders adopt a whole-house design approach and energy efficient design practices. The fact sheet advises how to create a comfortable basement environment that is free of moisture problems and easy to condition.

This case study highlights a compressed air improvement project implemented at the Mobil lubricating-blending plant in Vernon, California. The project reduced the plant's energy production and maintenance costs, and increased reliability due to increased efficiency of the compressed air system.

This case study highlights International Truck and Engine Corporation's optimization project on the compressed air system that serves its foundry, Indianapolis Casting Corporation. Due to the project's implementation, the system's efficiency was greatly improved, allowing the foundry to operate with less compressor capacity, which resulted in reduced energy consumption, significant maintenance savings, and more reliable production.

This case study highlights a compressed air system upgrade at BWX Technologies manufacturing plant in Lynchburg, Virginia, which replaced antiquated compressors and dryers and implemented an improved control strategy, resulting in improved energy efficiency and savings in energy and maintenance costs.

Steam turbines are well suited as prime movers for driving boiler feedwater pumps, forced or induced-draft fans, blowers, air compressors, and other rotating equipment. This service generally calls for a backpressure non-condensing steam turbine. The low-pressure steam turbine exhaust is available for feedwater heating, preheating of deaerator makeup water, and/or process requirements.

This case study highlights control scheme modifications made to the steam system at ExxonMobil's Mary Ann Gas Plant in Mobile, Alabama, which improved steam flow efficiency and reduced energy costs.

Open vessels that contain heated liquids often have a high heat loss due to surface evaporation. Both energy and liquid losses are reduced by covering open vessels with insulated lids. Table 1 provides an estimate of the evaporative heat loss per square foot of uncovered vessel surface area for various water and dry ambient air temperatures. It is assumed that the ambient air is dry with no wind currents. A fan pulling air over the uncovered tank could more than double the heat losses.

The General Services Administration is not just replacing aging heating and cooling equipment and reducing maintenance costs at the 670-acre Denver Federal Center (DFC). The GSA is also helping the government save about $450,000 in annual energy costs, conserve nearly 11 million gallons of water per year, and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 15.9 million pounds, all by making use of the Department of Energy's Super Energy Savings Performance Contracts (Super ESPCs) at the DFC. Under these contracts, an energy services provider pays the up-front project costs and is then repaid over the contracts term out of the resulting energy cost savings. This two-page case study, prepared by NREL for the DOE Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), demonstrates how the GSA forged new project partnerships, improved the DFCs boiler plant, and acquired efficient new chillers, motors, controls, and lighting by placing two delivery orders for this work under FEMPs Central Region Super ESPC.

Guidance issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This publication has been superseded by GAO-03-673G, Government Auditing Standards: 2003 Revision, June 2003. This guide discusses revised government auditing standards for auditors and audit organizations when required by law, regulation, agreement, contract, or policy. The standards pertain to auditors' professional qualifications, the quality of audit effort, and the characteristics of professional and meaningful audit reports."

Guidance issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This publication has been superseded by GAO-03-673G, Government Auditing Standards: 2003 Revision, June 2003. GAO presented a guide on revised government auditing standards to audit officials and others interested in government auditing standards. The standards require auditors to (1) not perform management functions or make management decisions and (2) not audit their own work or provide nonaudit services in situations in which the amounts or services involved are significant/material to the subject matter of the audit."

This is one of a series of technology fact sheets created to help housing designers and builders adopt a whole-house design approach and energy efficient design practices. The fact sheet helps people choose the correct equipment for heating and cooling to reduce initial costs, increase homeowner comfort, increase operating efficiency, and greatly reduce utility costs.

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This journal of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) includes articles regarding (1) INTOSAI's 17th International Congress gathering in Seoul, Korea from October 20-27, 2002; (2) The Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity II, held May 28-31, 2001, in The Hague; and (3) activities within INTOSAI."

Genesis Homes is headquartered in Auburn, Michigan, and has 11 factories throughout the nation. They build modular and manufactured homes with quality design, construction practice, and building materials that qualify for the Energy Star label.

The New American Home is an annual showcase project designed by committee and co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI). This year's project is built by John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods and supported by IBACOS.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Zapalac. After completing jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, Zapalac went into the 101st Airborne, 506th Infantry Regiment. He jumped into Normandy on 6 June 1944. The objective for the 506th Infantry Regiment was to secure two bridges over the Carentan canal. He recalls being seriously wounded soon after landing and tells of the effort made by members of the 4th Infantry to bring trucks up so he and many other wounded could be taken to the aid station on Utah Beach. After receiving emergency treatment he was put on board an LST and taken to a hospital in England. After he recovered, Zapalac returned to his unit in November. It was found that he was unable to properly handle his weapon because of the injury and he was sent back to the hospital. Soon thereafter, he returned to the United States.

Many industrial facilities produce steam at a higher pressure than is demanded by process requirements. Steam passes through pressure-reducing valves (PRVs, also known as letdown valves) at various locations in the steam distribution system to let down or reduce its pressure. A non-condensing or backpressure steam turbine can perform the same pressure-reducing function as a PRV, while converting steam energy into electrical energy.

This is one of a series of technology fact sheets created to help housing designers and builders adopt a whole-house design approach and energy efficient design practices. The fact sheet helps people choose the correct equipment size for heating and cooling to improve comfort and reduce costs, maintenance, and energy use.

Fact sheet features the challenges the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) faced and overcame in complying to a Texas legislation that calls for the acquisition of only alternative fuel vehicles.

A summary of benefits of DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income families, including both energy and economic impacts on local communities.

This case study highlights the upgraded compressed air system at a Michelin tire manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The controls upgrade project enabled multiple compressor operation without blow-off, and significantly reduced energy costs.

In July 2001, the Augusta Newsprint Company partnered with Invensys' Pacific Simulation group to implement an advanced quality control (AQC) solution for the thermomechanical pulping (TMP) process at Augusta Newsprint's Augusta, Georgia, site. The goal of the project is to decrease energy and raw material costs while maintaining final pulp quality. The project involves coordinating AQC in 3 areas of the paper mill to reduce the amount of energy required for manufacturing. In addition, a time-of-day production (TODP) feature will use current power market pricing data to adjust production rates in the pulping operation to minimize the average cost of purchased energy. The AQC implementation is currently in progress.

The boiler blowdown process involves the periodic or continuous removal of water from a boiler to remove accumulated dissolved solids and/or sludges. During the process, water is discharged from the boiler to avoid the negative impacts of dissolved solids or impurities on boiler efficiency and maintenance. However, boiler blowdown wastes energy because the blown down liquid is at about the same temperature as the steam produced. Much of this heat can be recovered by routing the blown down liquid through a heat exchanger that preheats the boiler's makeup water. A boiler blowdown heat recovery project at Augusta Newsprint Company's Augusta, GA mill will save almost $31,000 annually in fuel costs.

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Because the activities of the Congressional side of the Census Monitoring Board (CMBC) ceased to exist on September 30, 2001, CMBC entered into an interagency agreement with the Government Printing Office (GPO) to pay CMBC bills and to provide administrative support services. GAO examined CMBC documents to determine financial cutoff procedures and conducted other audits as necessary. GAO found four CMBC personnel were present at CMBC's former office on October 1, 2001, but performed no substantive government action. More than $14,000 was obligated and paid for telephone, cable, Internet, computer, copier, and water services to be provided after CMBC's statutory termination date. These prepayments were improper and should not have been certified and paid. GPO was requesting reimbursement from vendors for services that were not properly provided. GPO acquired CMBC property and supplies after September 30, 2001. A November 2001 GPO inventory found that some CMBC property had not been returned, was reported stolen, or was missing. The use of government owned property after CMBC termination was not proper, and GPO is seeking the return of some property. GPO was arranging for CMBC records disposal. CMBC internal controls …

School districts around the country are finding that smart energy choices can help them save money and provide healthier, more effective learning environments. By incorporating energy improvements into their construction or renovation plans, schools can significantly reduce their energy consumption and costs. These savings can then be redirected to educational needs such as additional teachers, instructional materials, or new computers.