Federal government to save on energy

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy will help the federal government save money on energy.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency David Rodgers announced four Energy Savings Performance Contracts to help government agencies save up to $13 million on energy-related costs per year.

The contracts with four national laboratories total $140 million and will be used to install energy efficiency improvements in Energy Department facilities across the country, Rodgers said.

The goal is to cut water consumption by 16 percent and energy intensity by 30 percent by 2010 in all of the Energy Department's facilities. The goal was initiated by Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman in 2007.

Private companies evaluated the systems at the Energy Department's major labs and will now help four of the labs strategize how to make improvements.

Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee will all develop projects to cut emissions and energy use.