On November 21, 2011, the Alliance to Save Energy and Policy Navigation Group (PNG) performed introductory energy management training for the Bucks County Water and Sewer Agency (BCWSA) located in Bucks County, PA. This training followed the energy assessment that the Alliance, in partnership with PNG and Process Energy Services, LLC, completed earlier this year. The assessment recommended energy management training for BCWSA staff as an important element of BCWSA’s Watergy project. Through participation in this training, BCWSA took an important step in understanding how it can use energy efficiently.

Strategic Energy Management for Bucks County

The Watergy assessment completed in March 2011 included a brief roadmap of recommended actions to help BCWSA maximize energy savings. Among those recommendations were the creation of a formal energy team, the development of an organizational energy policy, and an energy management plan to meet the agency’s energy policy goals. As a result, BCWSA senior management elected to establish an energy team with strategic guidance and training from the Alliance.

The half-day introductory workshop was designed to help the team develop an energy management plan that would support Bucks County’s ambitious energy efficiency objectives while fostering an organizational culture of continuous improvement in energy efficiency.

The workshop started with basic concepts that outlined the nexus between water and energy in water supply and wastewater treatment and the Watergy approach. The training also covered the significance of water and energy efficiency, fundamental components of an energy management plan in accordance with ISO 50001, and how to structure an energy team to execute the BCWSA energy policy. The workshop concluded with some success stories and an energy team brainstorming exercise.

According to John Butler, BCWSA’s COO, “the training was valuable. I saw the light bulb going off in people’s eyes.” In an example of the thinking that the training inspired, Lenny Hughes, a member of the energy management team, began thinking about motor-driven systems located in facilities beyond the scope of the energy assessment. He noted that some motors were approximately 50% efficient, and he believed that their efficiency could be improved.

Value of Training in Energy Management

Training in energy management is an important element of any energy efficiency program. Watergy has always included capacity-building exercises to enable personnel in water supply and wastewater treatment agencies to understand the interrelation water and energy. Recognizing that link helps staff identify opportunities for mutual water-energy efficiencies. Once this understanding is established, developing realistic energy policy goals and establishing an energy team to carry them out is important to achieving an overall organizational culture of continuous improvement that yields persistent water and energy savings.