Business Energy Advisor Spotlight: City of Hendersonville

The city of Hendersonville, N.C., prioritizes energy efficiency to help generate operational savings that benefit taxpayers and maximize utility ratepayer funding. By addressing aging infrastructure, inefficient building systems and new construction projects with a focus on energy efficiency, the city has been able to save energy and money. Those savings can then be passed down to residents and customers.

The Challenge

New energy-efficient Trojan UV disinfection system.

The initial capital investment required to make energy-efficient improvements is a major hurdle for many cities, and Hendersonville was no different. The wastewater treatment plant accounted for approximately 32% of citywide electrical usage – the highest single asset.

High volume low speed fans at the new Fire Station No. 1; used to accelerate evaporation and produce a cooling effect.

Additionally, the aging Fire Station No. 1 and city hall were not energy efficient and in great need of future-forward solutions. The city needed solid energy data and savings projections in order to make a business case to the city council for making these facilities more energy efficient.

The Solution

Wastewater treatment center upgrades.

The Hendersonville team was introduced to Duke Energy’s Business Energy Advisor (BEA) program through an outside vendor and assigned their own dedicated BEA for their projects. With Duke Energy’s expansive rebate and incentive programs, the BEA was able to address the city’s energy consumption and efficiency goals and provide a road map for greater sustainability. The advisor was also able to help the city make the business case to the city council for approval. Once the projects were underway, the BEA simplified the incentive application process.

City of Hendersonville’s new, energy-efficient Fire Station No. 1.

The wastewater treatment project, fire station rebuild and city hall upgrades were all optimized using four strategies.

	A high-efficiency building envelope with low solar heat gain glazing and exterior awnings was installed to help minimize solar heat gain into the building.
	High-efficiency hybrid heat pump HVAC systems were installed. Variable speed motors heat and cool the buildings by zone. Each zone has its own HVAC unit with a user controllable thermostat. Additionally, when temperatures approach freezing, the heat pumps are supplemented with natural gas furnaces to maintain occupant comfort.
	LED lighting with occupancy and vacancy sensor controls and dimming were installed by zone to minimize the energy used for lighting. These sensors automatically shut off interior lights when not in use.
	A replacement LED UV disinfection system was installed at the wastewater treatment center, resulting in 87% more energy savings over baseline consumption, according to kilowatt (kW) data.

The Results

Caitlyn Gendusa and BEA Alesha Reardon.

In total, the city of Hendersonville earned $144,069 in incentives for their various energy efficiency projects and new fire station, with annual estimated savings of 950,005 kWh. These efficiencies will result in lower operating and maintenance costs and increased net savings to be passed along to residents.

Adam Steurer, Utilities Director, and Garrett Demoss, Wastewater Treatment Facilities Manager.

Moving forward, the city plans to schedule and implement their Capital Improvement Projects with these energy-efficiency components built-in, knowing the additional incentives will help offset future project costs.