Project Titles:

• Replace HVAC System (FFS #R4QL)
• 10 kW Solar Photovoltaic System (FFS #R4DB)
• Replace Electrical Meters for 17 Buildings (FFS# R4QD)

State: Georgia

Initial Project Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS, the Service) will use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funds to replace the HVAC system and install a photovoltaic system at Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center in Warm Springs, Georgia.

The Service awarded a $30,205 contract to Jackson Heating and Air Conditioning, a small business from LaGrange, Georgia, for the purchase and installation of a new geothermal heat pump for the Fish Health Center at the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center. The new system will replace a 20-year old furnace and air conditioning system.

According to Warm Springs Supervisory Fish Biologist, Norm Heil, “This new geothermal heat pump is the most efficient technology available for heating and cooling the Fish Health Center, and will help us save substantially on our utility bills in the years to come.”

In addition, FWS awarded a $198,618 contract to Herrera Construction Company for the installation of a new 10-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center complex. PV systems convert solar energy into electricity and are among the cleanest systems available, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. With low operating costs, PV systems are ideal for supplying electricity to remote locations. The solar-generated electricity will primarily benefit the Fish Health Center, a laboratory that is in need of an uninterrupted supply of electricity because of the sensitive equipment that it houses.

According to Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery (NFH) Manager, Carlos Echevarria, “We’re trying to get greener and greener every year. This new solar panel system will cut our electric bill and take advantage of more environmentally-friendly energy production capabilities.” The new system is projected to cut the Fish Health Center’s annual energy bill by 50 percent or more.

Echevarria added, “What’s unique about this project is the net metering component. New legislation in Georgia allows us to place the solar array anywhere in the property, rather than directly serving only one building, and feed it back to the power grid. As a result, we eliminated the complex design issue of mounting the PV system on an aging building, and are now able to enjoy the optimum sun exposure location for the system. There are little or no operating costs associated with this system, other than what Georgia Power is charging us monthly for the meter.”

Established in 1990, the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center consists of 23 buildings, including the Fish Health Center, two National Fish Hatcheries, and a Fish Technology Center. The center works to improve the health of populations of sick fish; preserve the genetic material of endangered fish; develop spawning strategies to propagate highly valued species; and assist state partners in their aquatic resource management work. The visitor center welcomes more than 50,000 visitors a year.

The Fish Health Center plays a key role for the Service, providing bacteriology, virology, parasitology, and water quality analysis for all of the fish hatcheries in the 10 Southeastern states.

August 2011 Project Update: Jackson Heating and Air Conditioning completed the removal of the propane heating system and installation of the new geothermal heat pump in April 2010. According to Assistant Hatchery Manager, Haile Macurdy, “This project is an excellent demonstration of an alternative energy system that many folks may not be aware of. This system will assuredly provide cost savings and reliable service for our facility. Our site is unique in that the constant temperature water used to heat and cool is readily available and any water captured for use by this system is returned to the surface outflows from the spring from which the water is taken from.”

Herrera Construction Company subcontracted the installation of the PV system at the center to Pure Energy Solar International, Inc. Pure Energy Solar International, Inc. completed the project in June 2010. The new PV system is one of the largest in Georgia. The center is currently realizing cost savings of $150 – $300 per month as a result of installing the PV system.

In addition, the Service awarded a $48,617.98 contract to Herrera Construction Company for the installation of electrical meters on buildings at the center.

According to the Service’s energy use policy, all buildings using energy should be directly metered or sub-metered. The Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center has 17 structures subject to the policy. However, the cost to install sub meters at all 17 facilities exceeded the amount of Recovery Act funding available for the project. Therefore, the highest priority sites were targeted, and Herrera Construction Company installed seven sub-meters.

According to Macurdy, “The sub-meters are providing [the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center with] the ability to more reliably measure actual electrical usage in approximately 70% of the energy using buildings and structures.”

For more information, visit the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center website.

Photos:

Media Alert: Stimulus Funds to Help Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center

Originally posted 03/31/2010
Updated 06/09/2010
Updated 12/21/2010
Page Completed 08/25/2011