David Butler, Deputy Director of Hanover's Department of General Services, is presented with the Go Green Challenge award by Matte Anderson of TRANE

For the third consecutive year, Hanover County has achieved the goals of the Go Green Challenge Award, given by the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League to recognize local governments that reduce energy usage and promote sustainable practices.

The Go Green Virginia Challenge is a friendly competition designed to encourage implementation of specific environmental policies and practical actions that reduce the carbon emissions generated by both the local government and its community. Cities, towns and counties can become a certified “Green Government.” The Challenge also notes that many of these actions can save local governments money.

Hanover County has done things like retrofitting old lighting with more efficient lighting that reduces energy usage and saves money; replacing old oil-fired boilers with more efficient gas units resulting in better efficiencies and a smaller Carbon footprint; and installing motion sensors that turn off ceiling lights automatically when there is no motion. A recent re-lamping of the Atlee branch of the Pamunkey Regional Library from metal halide to high-wattage CFL is expected to save approximately $4,000 annually with a simple payback in four months.

Newly-renovated spaces such as the new Social Services/Community Services offices in Bell Creek have been built with high-efficient dual fuel HVAC, lighting and insulation to save money and energy.

Facilities Management and County Administration also have focused on boosting employee participation and education in such activities as bottle and can recycling and awareness through the employee newsletter. The County continues to work with Dominion Virginia Power to seek the best rate structure for buildings, resulting in future energy and cost savings.

The County government also has partnered with the EPA in taking the ENERGY STAR Challenge, which allows Hanover to benchmark their usage of electricity and fuel with similar buildings in other localities.

In 2010 the County obtained an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant that funded the replacement of old oil-fired boilers in the Courts buildings with new gas boilers. These new gas boilers are both more efficient and reduce pollution.

The block grant money also was used to improve the energy efficiency of the County’s Data Center. A new storage array using more energy-efficient hard drives and controllers has allowed the County to increase raw storage capabilities while reducing the use of electricity.

The physical layout of the Data Center was renovated, reducing the square footage of space needing to be cooled. Also, two older air conditioner units will be replaced with one system that can provide critical cooling more efficiently.

“We will continue to pursue opportunities for energy savings and waste reduction in a manner that is both economically feasible and operationally sound,” said David Butler, Deputy Director of the Department of General Services.

Butler was presented with the Go Green Challenge Award by Matte Anderson, Area Manager for Trane, at the March 15 meeting of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors. Trane and Moseley Architects are sponsors of the award.

For more information about Hanover’s Energy Management Initiative, click here