The model energy installation program: Progress and lessons learned

Executive Order 12902 states that federal facilities shall reduce energy consumption by 30% from 1985 levels by the year 2005. The Army Corps of Engineers instituted the Model Energy Installation Program (MEIP) to investigate the problem associated with scoping and implementing energy-efficient projects on a citywide scale. The site chosen was Fort Hood, Texas, an Army installation with a daytime population of 65,000 and more than 5,200 buildings of all types, ranging from barracks to light commercial to large administrative to vehicle maintenance. This paper outlines the broad scope of the MEIP from a programmatic perspective. It describes the audit efforts undertaken to identify energy-saving projects, the subsequent implementation of those projects, and the problems identified through implementation. It relates how the feedback garnered through project scoping and the implementation provided insight that led to the development of real-world solutions and research products to address the chronic shortage on information, education, and money in the federal government. The lessons learned, projects implemented, and products developed made the MEIP more than just another exercise in spreadsheet engineering.