Louisville, KY Earthwell Energy Management, Inc. was selected by Kentucky to provide energy services to upgrade major building systems at the 27 story Capital Plaza state office building to be more energy efficient and reduce the cost of operating the building. The project was accomplished through an Energy Savings Performance Contract where the cost of the upgrades will be paid for by the annual utility savings realized from the upgrades over a period of six years.

The project called for the installation of various energy conservation measures (ECM) as well as water conservation measures. Included in these ECMs were:

• The retrofitting of over 10,000 existing light fixtures with modern technology electronic ballast and T8 fluorescent lamps
• The upgrading of existing and installation of new lighting controls.
• Installation of variable frequency drives for electric motors.
• Upgrades to the building's energy management control system.
• Replacement and retrofit of plumbing fixtures to modern lower water consuming fixtures.
• Installation of an agricultural water service to reduce sewer charges.

The energy savings project, which was completed late last year, has all ready started to save the Commonwealth money by reducing energy costs by more than $58,000 during the construction phase of the project. With measurement and verification ongoing, the project is on track to save the expected $164,000 annually.

James B. Nordmann, ESPC Project Manager for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, commented on the project and Earthwell's performance by stating: "Your company executed all phases of our ESPC project with the professionalism we expected and in the timeframe that was agreed to … We were able to satisfy the needs of the building's tenants in keeping them operational during installation and, at the same time, improved their working environment."

Earthwell Energy Management is dedicated to teaming with public and private institutions to better manage their energy and water resources. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, they are an energy services company that creates high performance buildings that cost less to own and operate, provide an improved working environment, plus have less impact on the natural environment.

To learn more about Earthwell and its services and solutions, please visit their website at www.earthwell.cc.

###