Case Study: Wallops Flight Facility achieves 35% energy reduction and $1.6M annual savings with Ameresco

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Reduced Energy Consumption by 35%

Wallops Flight Facility (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) needed to cut energy use across its 930,062 sq ft campus, meet federal energy‑reduction requirements, and do so without disrupting critical launch operations. Ameresco was awarded an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) task order to design and implement multiple energy conservation measures, including geothermal heat pumps, upgraded lighting, BAS/DDC controls, chillers, and boiler decentralization.

Ameresco installed 500 tons of geothermal heat pumps, refitted 340 lighting fixtures, and added 300‑ton and 75‑ton air‑cooled chillers, staging work to avoid launch disruptions and specifying equipment for the facility’s corrosive environment. The $26.8M project achieved a 35% reduction in energy consumption, about $1.6M in annual energy savings, a CO2 reduction of roughly 9,738 tons per year, and reduced equipment maintenance requirements.

Wallops Flight Facility

Phillip Smith

Energy Manager