Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority: Energy performance

Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge partners strive to decrease source energy use intensity (EUI), and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline year.  Victor Valley's portfolio consists of 1 plant as of 2015. Victor Valley has an internal goal of reaching energy neutrality in terms of purchased energy.  They have progressed towards that goal by reducing on-site energy use as well as by using byproduct biogas to generate electricity and heat using combined heat and power (CHP), installed in 2015.  With a purchased energy intensity improvement of 27% since its baseline year of 2012, Victor Valley has already met its initial goal of 25 percent reduction in purchased energy intensity by 2023, and is considering setting a new program goal to take them closer to their internal goal of energy neutrality.

Victor Valley treats wastwater from facilities in the surrounding Mojave desert area, and calculates energy intensity in terms of source purchased energy consumed (in MMBtus) normalized using values of waste removed from wastewater, rainfall, and use of fuel switching. Victor Valley's energy consumption increased in 2013 and 2014 primarily due to new equipment installed to meet regulatory requirements. Purchased electricity was reduced significantly in 2015 after Victor Valley began using its new CHP system to generate much of the electricity it needs on-site.