Oregon Department of Energy recognizes state building projects

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), May 12, 2008

The Oregon Department of Energy has recognized three state building projects for their energy efficiency and will present each with an award on Tuesday at the Oregon State Library, in Salem.

The Department of Corrections prison in Lakeview, the University of Oregon's Moss Street Children's Center and the Oregon Department of Forestry's Tillamook Center will be the first to receive State Energy Efficient Design awards. The SEED program requires DOE to review all new state buildings and major renovations to ensure that cost-efficient energy measures are used to make the buildings at least 20 percent more energy efficient than code.

Lakeview Prison, with its geothermal heating system, has a 52 percent better energy rating than an equivalent building constructed to Oregon building codes.

Moss Street uses radiant floor heating and hybrid ground source heat pumps to achieve its energy rating, which is 32 percent better than code.

The Tillamook Forest Center burns wood pellets and created a fire protection pond that stores water used to cool the condenser for an efficient water-cooled chiller. It is 30 percent more efficient than code.