GSA Picks Ameresco for $183M Denver Federal Complex Energy Efficiency Upgrades

The plan calls for construction of a geothermal bore field and solar array on the same portion of the 270 acre federal campus just outside Denver.

Map (left) courtesy U.S. General Services Administration; photo (right) cropped from the original by Jeffrey Beall/CC BY 3.0

The U.S. General Services Administration awarded a $183-million contract to Framingham, Mass.-based Ameresco Inc. to perform energy efficiency retrofits at the Denver Federal Center in Colorado, GSA officials announced Jan. 13.

The work will involve building a centralized geothermal heat pump system and on-site solar power generation. The geothermal bore field, with about 2,880 boreholes, and the solar array would both be located on the same 27-acre parcel. The system would also require construction of a pump house and three valve houses, along with pipe installation to various buildings. GSA also plans building upgrades such as window replacements.

The Denver Federal Center is a 623-acre site with dozens of buildings totaling more than 4 million sq ft in Lakewood, Colo.

GSA officials did not share the solar component capacity but said they expect it will be able to power about half of the campus. Overall, they anticipate the project will reduce its use of grid-purchased energy by 51% and water use by 10%, saving 24 GWh of electricity and 85,000 MMBtu of natural gas per year. That would result in more than $2 million in energy cost savings in the first year alone, GSA said.

“This investment will not only improve the Denver Federal Center’s infrastructure, but also provide a solution that helps reduce the effects of climate change with products made right here in America,” said Denise Maes, GSA regional administrator, in a statement.

Ameresco did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the project.

In addition to environmental benefits, GSA officials say the upgrades mitigate risks of fossil fuel price volatility going forward.

GSA is funding the project in part with $140.2 million from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation sets $3.4 billion for GSA to fund projects that use materials with low embodied carbon. Officials expect construction will take about two years, GSA records show.

The agency has been working toward a national goal of net-zero emissions from the federal buildings it manages by 2045.

James Leggate is an online news editor at ENR. He has reported on a variety of issues for more than 10 years and his work has contributed to several regional Associated Press Media Editors and Murrow award wins.