Increased Energy Efficiency for Ten Parks in Eastern Kentucky
This guaranteed energy savings performance contract with the Kentucky Department of Parks encompassed 875,000 square feet and included ten eastern Kentucky state parks:
Blue Licks Battlefield
Buckhorn Lake
Carter Caves
Cumberland Falls
Fort Boonesborough
Greenbo Lake Resort
Jenny Wiley
Levi Jackson
Natural Bridge
Pine Mountain
These parks are home to over 850 campsites, almost 1,400 acres of lakes, five State Park lodges, and countless hiking trails.
Project At A Glance
Size: 875,000 Square Feet
Contract Amount: $15,165,676
Guaranteed Savings: $1,335,496 Annually
Actual Savings: $1,452,977 Annually
Completed: 2017
Baseline Energy Use: 90 EUI
Post-Project Energy Use: 59 EUI
The Challenges
Handling variety of infrastructure issues, including inconsistent HVAC systems, water leaks, and winterization difficulties
Managing the geographic scope of the project
Working within the limitations of the job sites
Staying on schedule while the parks were operational
The Solutions
New geothermal HVAC systems were installed at five parks. The advantages that geothermal energy brought to the project, including little maintenance, elimination of theft and liability concerns, and 50% longer life expectancy than air-cooled equipment, works well for these expansive parks. For one park, CMTA also installed our first lake-sourced geothermal system. This innovative system relies on a nearby lake to reject and absorb heat, rather than a traditional bore field.
CMTA was also able to connect these far-flung sites with state-of-the-art technology. Maintenance and management staff can now operate HVAC and power controls from any location with internet access, yielding increased energy efficiency.
Additionally, 485 buildings were upgraded with LED lighting, and 185 plumbing fixtures were replaced. 213 split systems improved those that were past useful life.
Energy Efficiency for Year-Round Use
Due to the varying energy profiles of the Kentucky State Parks, additions that included occupancy sensors and envelope improvements such as spray foam insulation and weatherstripping helped to maintain energy efficiency, while also providing for year-round use. To help in cold weather months, CMTA also reworked the bath house piping at the Blue Licks Battlefield and Fort Boonesborough parks to winterize draining, extending the useful months of the facilities.
Drought-Resistant Grass Saves Money
This project had some uncommon energy conservation measures, such as the replacement of 30 acres of fairways across the state park golf courses. At Pine Mountain Golf Course, nationally ranked by Golf Digest, all of the fairways were converted to Bermuda grass, a resilient grass that is drought-tolerant and disease-resistant. This measure has saved the parks over $20,000 in chemical costs per year.
The Results
This project was guaranteed to save 15,057 gallons of diesel, 30,468,000 gallons of domestic water, and 7,529,190 kWh of electricity annually. Utility bills demonstrate that the ten parks have saved over 19% in their kWh electric usage, 11% in kW energy usage, and 4.4% in water and sewer usage annually. The Kentucky Department of Parks is currently realizing an average yearly savings of $1,412,222. With the overall project cost of $15,165,676, the project will be fully paid for within 14 years post-construction. Excess Year 1 savings were $329,746!
With these upgrades, extended park operational hours were achieved year-round, and there has been a 30% occupancy increase post-project.
I’ve been genuinely impressed by the ability of CMTA to remedy complications and meet our needs during construction with a high standard of excellence. I’ve never worked with a team that strives so hard to leave something in better condition than they found it.
