Town of Cary – Benjamin Inskeep – 2012

Goals

Ben Inskeep was brought on by the Town of Cary to analyze regional fire station energy use and compile case studies on energy efficiency projects.

Solutions

In his analysis, Inskeep showed that fire stations in the region were on average more than 25 percent above the national benchmark for energy intensity. Case studies illustrated that a combination of energy efficiency projects and behavior change could reduce fire station energy consumption by approximately 25 percent. The most promising efficiency initiatives, Inskeep concluded, are interior lighting retrofits, HVAC retrofits and engaging employees in energy efficiency.

Potential Impact

Based on this analysis, Cary’s Fire Chief launched the Chiefs’ Energy Challenge at the International Association of Fire Chiefs conference in August 2012. Fire stations joining the Challenge from around the nation pledged to reduce their energy consumption 10 percent by October 2013 and 20 percent by October 2016, with results verified in EPA’s Portfolio Manager.