Marin County
Dept. of Public Works
Building Maintenance Energy Program
In an effort to conserve energy and
increase sustainability Dept. of Public
Works in 1998 embarked on a Energy
Management Program. Using in-house
maintenance personnel and outside
contractors, the county surveyed all
county owned buildings for ways to
conserve energy. Many different energy
management approaches were used.
Lighting Retrofits:
There are thousands of light fixtures throughout the
facilities we maintain. Public Works has replaced
nearly all fluorescent T12 lamps with higher
efficiency T8s.
In the process
receiving tens
of thousands
of dollars in
energy rebates.
These fixtures were converted from 4 T12
at 112 watts per fixture to 2 T8 at 52 watts
a fixture.

Computerized lighting controls were installed to
reduced lighting run times.
A security card access
system has been installed,
Which also activates lighting
systems after hours.
Energy Savings:Lighting
$600,000.00
$558,794.00
$500,000.00
$400,000.00
$300,000.00
$255,290.00
$230,106.00
$200,000.00
$100,000.00
$0.00
Total Project
Cost
Annual Savings
Rebates
1.4 year payback on Lighting Projects
Globalight Lighting Power Controllers:
Electronic lighting control system to regulate power and stabilize voltage.
For circuits dedicated to electronic ballast with T8/T5,or electromagnetic T12
fluorescent lighting, saving are 25%.
Installed in the Hall of Justice in 2005 these four controllers are saving
111,873 kWh per year equal to $16,780.95
Unit No. of
# Panels
Total kW
Total Annual
kWh
%
Savings
kW
Saved
kWh Saved
1
2
33.1
124,235
25%
8.3
31,059
2
2
32.7
122,573
25%
8.2
30,643
3
2
34.3
128,597
25%
8.6
32,149
4
2
19.2
72,089
25%
4.8
18,022
119.3
447,494
29.8
111,873.38
Globalight is compatible with all magnetic HID ballast, and
all HID lamps. This includes High Pressure Sodium, Metal
Halide, Pulse Start, Mercury Vapor, and Low Pressure
Sodium lamps.
Variable Frequency Drives:
Energy saving
motors and
Variable
Frequency
Drives have
been installed.
Variable Frequency Drives were added
to the Chillers in 2004, reducing energy
cost by $70,000 a year and will receive a
$60,000 rebate .

All motors 5 HP and above now
have VFDs
Equipment Replacement and Upgrades:
Boilers have been retrofitted with computerized
controls, saving energy and reducing emissions
to the environment.
n
Annual Savings:
Elec. $5,444
Gas $10,250
2 year payback
Older less efficient Chillers have been
replaced with high efficient Chillers using
environmentally safe refrigerants.
Energy Savings
Calculated at 29%
Photovoltaic:
County General Services
Building has a new 75KW
Photovoltaic system in place.
Saving $24,000 a year in energy
cost.
Cultural Services Department. Installation of a 205.6 KW
photovoltaic panels array on the exhibit hall as well as
improving energy efficiency by assisting with the upgrade of
current HVAC systems with energy efficient systems. It is
anticipated these upgrades will save $97,314 annually.
120 N. Redwood Drive. A 164.4
kW photovoltaic (PV) system has
been installed on Social Services
Building at 120 North Redwood
Drive saving $46,524 annually.
There is was also a lighting upgrade
at this building which will result in
additional savings of about $8,000
annually.
A total of 483 KW in Photo Voltaic Projects.
Saving $167,838 Yearly
LEED Certified
Throckmorton Fire. The new fire station includes multiple
energy efficiency measures, a 38KW photovoltaic system,
rapidly renewable and recycled content building materials,
low-emitting materials including paints, sealants and
carpets, day lighting for 75% of spaces, 50-75%
construction waste diversion, and water efficient
landscaping. The building will be LEED certified, and plans
are for the LEED rating to meet the gold standard.
Marin Health and Wellness Campus. This project
consists of renovating about 83,000 square feet of
building space for the use as the Health and Wellness
Campus by Health & Human Services and Marin
County Clinic. This project has been renovated to
meet minimum LEED gold standard.
Total Energy Savings to Date
4000000
3500000
3000000
2500000
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000
0
$3,578,781
Dollars
$753,679
$324,000
Invested Rebates
Grants
$475,252
Annual
Savings
Overall Payback is 5.25 years
Net Present Value $8,788,253 Internal Rate of return 26%
Water Conservation Practices
Water conservation practices also save Energy:
Why? Because one of the biggest use of
electricity in most cities is supplying water and
cleaning it up after it's been used!
Water Projects Completed
Low Flow Toilets A project to replace all Civic Center
toilets to low-flow models was completed in June 2003 and
will save overall water usage by as much as 5%.
Reclaimed Water The County utilizes reclaimed water
for landscaping needs and in the cooling towers, which
provide heat during the winter months. Reclaimed water
use has increased from 19% of overall water usage in
2001 to 27% in 2003.
Each year, these measures conserves enough water to provide the average household
water for twenty-five years as well as additional energy savings due to reduction in
pumping and water treatment.
Water Projects Underway
Bathroom Renovation. Motion sensor faucets, low
flow toilets and waterless urinals have been
installed for water conservation. It is estimated a
standard urinal uses 48,000 gallons of water per
year. The County is in the process of installing 63
waterless urinals
The waterless urinals alone will save a total of
3,024,000 gallons of fresh water per year.
This amount is the equivalent of a three
year supply of drinking water for 4,320
persons.
Combined, these conservation measures put in
place have reduced water consumption 11%
between 2000 and 2003. This is enough water
to provide irrigation to a 1,081 acre vineyard.
Saved $2786 in Energy cost.
Current Energy Projects:
County Jail:
Installed higher efficiency hot water
boilers
Juvenile Hall:
Install DDC controls to improve energy
efficiency
Public Works retained Kenwood Energy to complete a
preliminary energy management study of five County facilities:
The Civic Center
The County Jail
120 Redwood Drive
10 and 20 North San Pedro
County Juvenile Justice Center
JJC Services Building
Besides saving Marin’s taxpayers
hundreds of thousands of dollars in
energy cost yearly, this program has
benefited the World community as a
whole. These projects represent a total
reduction of green house gas
emissions of 3,093,048 lbs. per year,
which is the equivalent of planting 424
acres of trees.