Government and Municipal Buildings

Governement Sector Energy Challenges

Governments face a number of unique challenges when it comes to energy strategy, energy policy, and energy supply and demand management. The overall challenge is to provide clean and affordable energy to enable economic growth and rising living standards. Satisfying the growth in energy demand needs to be done in a way that improves the quality of life today without sacrificing it for future generations. This requires governments to navigate and balance a complicated set of economic, political, social, and environmental tradeoffs.

Solutions will be multi-dimensional and include a combination of expanding and diversifying the energy supply, improving energy efficiency, and increasing conservation. Even more significantly, government "leadership by example" can be a powerful force to shift the market toward energy efficiency.

Value of Energy Management

A stable social, political and business environment is essential for developing a reliable work force and attracting long-term investments. Affordable energy is a primary input for sustainable economic development.

Governments are also major energy consumers. Energy efficiency improvements in government buildings can yield sizable reductions in energy purchases. These savings can be redirected to other government programs and initiatives. Direct benefits from more efficient energy management in government facilities and operations include:

• Lower energy expenditures
• Reduced environmental damage (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions)
• Delayed addition of new electricity generation capacity
• Reduced dependence on imported oil.

NHI's Solutions for Government and Municipal Buildings Can Help

NHI has developed specific energy solutions for the government sector.

For Policymakers

NHI can help policymakers better understand the scientific, technical, and economic dimensions of energy-related issues. Our goal is to provide independent, peer-reviewed, high-quality scientific research and analyses to policymakers. NHI's research can:

• Help policymakers understand the issues and potential outcomes on a broad range energy issues
• Provide technical information and subject matter expertise to develop scenarios and assess risks
• Inform citizens about energy-efficient practices and technologies available to them
• Define directions for government-sponsored R&D to meet future needs.

For Energy Managers, Procurement and Contract Officers

NHI can design, develop, and implement energy-related projects as part of a comprehensive national, regional, or local energy efficiency and conservation program. Specifically, we can help government energy buyers:

• Conduct energy audits and prepare feasibility studies
• Review existing proposals and designs
• Develop equipment performance specifications
• Review equipment bid specifications
• Assist with contractor selection
• Assist with commissioning