Pirate's Cove

I wholeheartedly think they should do this. Take out all air-conditioning systems that do not comply with Biden’s mandates. They can only use energy from “renewables”, no fossil fuels or coal (which is what most in DC use). Heating systems will be set to 62F and no more. Mean will not be allowed in the buildings. There will be no parking places, as employees can only come on property while walking or biking. There will be no federal vehicles, they can all take public transportation. And so much more. Of course, that’s not what they will do

Old U.S. government buildings get a second life fighting climate change

Robin Carnahan cruised a Ford F-150 pickup truck through a seemingly endless maze of federal buildings.

To an untrained eye, the dozens of buildings in the Denver Federal Center looked unremarkable, even drab. But Carnahan, who leads the General Services Administration, could spot how each structure was a secret weapon in the fight against climate change.

“Isn’t this cool?” Carnahan exclaimed to her spokeswoman in the back seat and a reporter in the passenger seat, pointing at the windows in Building 40 as they sparkled in the midday sun.

These weren’t just any windows, she said. They were designed to block summer heat and retain winter warmth — technology that could save the government hundreds of millions of dollars on heating and cooling costs in the coming decades.

Is that a fossil fueled F150 or one of the really expensive EVs?

Building 48, once a World War II munitions plant, was on track to reach net-zero emissions. Buildings 20, 25 and 53 had parking lots covered with solar panels and dotted with electric vehicle charging stations, where Carnahan’s borrowed F-150 electric truck would recharge later that August afternoon. Past yet another row of buildings, a sprawling field of solar panels would soon produce up to three-quarters of the energy needed for the entire center, home to the largest collection of federal agencies outside the nation’s capital.

How much are they spending on this? I can’t wait for the complaints when the employees are complaining about being cold in winter and their EVs being stuck.

Biden in 2021 signed an executive order directing the government to become carbon-neutral by 2050, with federal buildings to meet this target by 2045. The GSA — one of the country’s largest landlords and biggest buyers of materials such as steel and concrete — is racing to remake its real estate portfolio, from Denver to D.C. The agency’s actions could have a significant climate impact, since burning fossil fuels to heat and cool buildings produces nearly a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. They could also drive up demand for green technologies, encouraging the private sector to follow suit.

When are they going to do this with the White House, forcing Joe to live the carbon neutral life? Of course, this usually only matters during the week, since Biden is rarely there during the weekend.

A new project underway at the Denver Federal Center promises significant cost savings. The $88 million project with Ameresco, a renewable energy company, involves the installation of heat pumps and solar panels, as well as heating and cooling system upgrades, at 18 buildings across the complex. It’s projected to save more than $2 million annually on energy costs while reducing carbon emissions by more than 29,000 metric tons annually — the equivalent of taking nearly 6,500 cars off the nation’s roads each year.

$88 million to replace systems that work. If it actually saves money, it’ll take 44 years to break even. Seems like a good waste of taxpayer money.

When do they restrict the use of fossil fuels to travel for all federal employees?