News & Insights
Carbon-cutting project for the U.S. Navy in Yokosuka, Japan receives AFFECT grant from the U.S. Department of Energy
This transformative project, awarded the grant for its support of the government’s sustainability goals, reflects Salas O’Brien’s ongoing partnership with the U.S. Navy to provide resource efficiency manager services and reduce energy and water intensity for NAVFAC Far East.
The Navy Region Japan Housing Tower Decarbonization and Decentralization project at Commander Fleet Activity (CFA) Yokosuka, Japan has been selected for the Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) grant. Awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), this grant provides direct funding to federal agencies through the AFFECT program while focusing on projects that have shown a commitment to enhancing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting the federal government’s transition to net zero emissions.
Salas O’Brien’s work on the project launched with a proposal to enhance energy conservation measures, drawing on insights from a Steam USA study conducted in Yokosuka in 2023. Working closely with Navy officials and NORESCO, the team, led by Salas O’Brien resource energy manager Cari Schroeder, aided in identifying and prioritizing the most effective energy-saving strategies. After over two months of collaboration, Salas O’Brien finalized the project scope, calculations, and cost savings, installing high-efficiency heat pumps and upgrading critical infrastructure.
The project is set to deliver long-term benefits by significantly reducing the Navy’s carbon footprint and saving an estimated $1.7 million annually in energy costs for the Navy installation. By replacing fuel-oil-fired systems in eight housing towers at CFA Yokosuka with air-cooled heat pumps powered by low-carbon electricity, this change not only contributes to the U.S. Naval Forces Japan/Navy Region’s decarbonization goals but paves the way for future integration with a microgrid-controlled solar power system.
Further energy efficiency upgrades include replacing 7,500 outdated light fixtures with LED lights, and modernizing boilers and chillers at CFA Yokosuka, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, and CFA Sasebo, aligning with the Navy’s commitment to meet federal energy reduction targets and work toward net zero emissions.
This project is part of Salas O’Brien’s ongoing partnership with the U.S. Navy to provide resource efficiency manager services, supporting NAVFAC Far East in reducing energy and water intensity, incorporating energy resilience, cyber-secure design, and sustainable features into new construction, renovations, and repairs to align with the Navy’s climate change goals.