U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Federal Energy Management Program

Sam Nunn Federal Center

Energy Use Intensity

Current Rank: 4th

Change in EUI: -20.2%

Graphic of a baseball card showing a photo of the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center.
Graphic of the back of a baseball card showing statistics for the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center. The building is located in Atlanta, GA, is in the category Office Space/Parking, is 2.4 million sq ft, and has an energy baseline of 52.1 KBtu/sq ft. It's highlights include changes to the sequence of operations, energy-efficient light bulbs, and highly reflective thermoplastic polyolefin roofing.

The General Services Administration's (GSA) Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center in Atlanta, Georgia, was constructed in 1997 and is composed of five sections: the tower with 25 floors, the historic Rich's building with seven floors, the midrise with 11 floors, the bridge with six floors, and the parking garage. Tenants include the Environmental Protection Agency, Social Security Administration, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, National Park Service, Department of Education, and the Department of Agriculture.

Energy Improvements

GSA staff members at the Sam Nunn Center are keenly focused on energy efficiency and reduction. Energy reduction at the Sam Nunn Center was accomplished through the following upgrades.

  • Transitioned the building automation system to an Ethernet-accessible system and upgraded it from a network control module to a network automation engine system to accommodate concurrent remote access
  • Make-up and exhaust fan schedules were separated from the air handling unit (AHUs) schedules to allow for more modular control
  • Updated programming to implement optimal start for the AHUs to ensure proper set point temperatures prior to occupied mode occupancy schedule
  • Reprogrammed AHU to allow for setback temperature set points during unoccupied hours when the system is not in warm-up or cool-down modes
  • Replaced 31,198 linear fluorescent fixtures with advance optimum programmed-start electronic ballasts
  • Replaced all 32-watt T8 fluorescent lamps with T8 25-watt long-life lamps
  • Installed ENERGY STAR®-rated highly reflective thermoplastic polyolefin single-ply roof (spanning 5,772 square feet)
  • Installed green roofs on the midrise and Rich's building
  • Installed building-level metering for electric, water, and gas, including 10 electric meters, one gas meter, and three water meters.

In total, $4.9 million was expended on these projects and simple payback for four of these projects ranged from two to seven years. The re-roofing project had a 19-year payback. The result from all of these energy-reduction projects has yielded significant savings in energy and water. The facility has reduced energy by 22.8% from the fiscal year (FY) 2003 baseline, and reduced water by 34.3% from the FY 2007 baseline.