RI’s largest state-owned office building reduces energy consumption by 27%

Built in 1989, the William E. Powers Building in Providence, Rhode Island houses over 800 state employees including the Departments of Administration and Revenue. It is the largest state-owned office building in Rhode Island and provides effective oversight, accountability and support of agency operations across state government.

The costs of heating and cooling the 250,000 square-foot building have grown over the years. This was due to an aging HVAC system which lacked adequate temperature and zone controls, requiring manual adjustments several times a day. This system was inefficient and expensive to manage.

THE SOLUTION

The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, in partnership with the Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance, hired Siemens to design and install a modern climate control system.

The new Desigo® Climate Control system provides:

• Automatic temperature and schedule controls with multiple zones to provide optimum comfort across the building in all seasons.
• New thermostats which allow individual offices fine tune temperature adjustments.
• Computer dashboard which gives building operators the ability to monitor the system in real time and visualize long term energy use trends.

THE RESULTS

Since installing the new system, the Powers Building has reduced its energy use between 15-27%!

Monthly energy savings may be reinvested into continued building improvements such as lighting upgrades and mechanical equipment.

For information about the state’s clean energy programs and financing opportunities for state agencies, visit www.energy.ri.gov