The State of New Mexico's "State Buildings Green Energy Project"

Modernizing 32 state-owned buildings with ultra-efficient HVAC systems, intelligent building controls and renewable distributed energy resources enhances comfort while accelerating the State’s climate action plans and economic goals.

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Challenge

In 2018 New Mexico’s government leaders faced a common dilemma by communities: how to modernize aging buildings in a way that was fiscally sound and environmentally sustainable.

At more than 50 years old, 30-plus State-owned buildings in the capital of Santa Fe were uncomfortable for staff and visitors, with inefficient HVAC systems that left them unbearably hot during Southwestern summer heatwaves and cold in the desert winters. Furthermore, the unreliable systems demanded costly emergency repairs. At the time, the State was already facing over $300 million in deferred maintenance costs—which relied on taxpayer funding.

Climate change exacerbated the problem. While rich in natural resources and beauty, New Mexico—known as the Land of Enchantment—has been in a drought for nearly two decades, and upland forests are threatened annually by fires. The Santa Fe campus’s fragile building infrastructure was no match for the pressure of fluctuating temperatures and weather uncertainty.

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