UNH is a Model of Energy Management Among Colleges and Universities
A group of engineering students at the University of New Hampshire set
out this year to track energy demand in dormitories that had been
retrofit with energy saving measures. Working with the support of school
administrators and EPA, the students wanted to measure the efficiency of
these dorms compared to typical dorms in the U.S. The outcome was
remarkable: changes in design and operations in just the three dorms
tracked had cut the school’s energy bill some $80,000 a year and
prevented pollution equal to taking 100 vehicles off the road for a
year.
This reduction in residential energy use is just one example of how UNH
has cut its energy demand dramatically in the past 20 years. Using
strategies that are now considered exemplary, UNH became a model for
large institutions trying to protect the environment and reduce energy
costs.
The key to the university’s success?
“First and foremost we had every level of the school involved, from
teachers to students to high level administrators,” said Jim Dombrosk,
energy manager for UNH. “Beyond that, we were committed to making the
changes systematically and over time so that every decision made at the
school would consider its effect on our energy footprint.”
In short, the school’s leaders agreed with Dombrosk that reducing the
amount of energy used in the 5.25 million square feet of buildings on
the 200-acre campus must involve all levels of the UNH community and
must be a plan for the long haul. Any changes in technology had to be
supported by a unified team of university leaders committed to an energy
efficient campus. To that end, last year the president of the university
established a campus-wide Energy Task Force.
Savings at UNH have come through such measures as automated building
control systems, new lighting, motor replacements and energy education
for staff, faculty and students. The university has earned national
awards for its energy conservation efforts, which range from small
retrofit projects to major power plants.
A proposed new lighting policy on campus exemplifies how various arms of
the school work together. Over the next few years, UNH plans to replace
its roughly 20,000 halogen or incandescent light bulbs with more
efficient compact florescent or high intensity discharge lighting. These
bulbs cost two to four times as much upfront, but they will last 10
times as long as the older bulbs and reduce labor costs associated with
changing bulbs. Facilities personnel understood the labor savings and
administrators recognized the long-term dollars savings. As a result,
the school will spend an additional $50,000 to $100,000 to buy the bulbs
but save five times that in the long run.
To ensure the savings continue to grow, the university requires that any
renovations or new construction incorporate building standards that
minimize energy use. Buildings being completely renovated in next few
years will use 20 to 30 percent less energy than if they were designed
to the state’s energy code.
Such small and large-scale changes in energy management save UNH about
$4 million a year, and protect the environment, most pointedly, the
earth’s atmosphere. The three dorms tracked by the students earned UNH
the first ENERGY STAR designation for residence halls given by EPA to a
college or university. Fewer than 3,000 buildings of any kind have
received the label.
The energy analysis at the dorms stemmed from a visit by an EPA
scientist to a chemical engineering class. Students worked with EPA’s
on-line benchmarking tool and with staff to find that these dorms reduce
emissions by an amount equal to burning more than 65,000 gallons of
gasoline when compared to the average dorm.
This summer UNH was set to begin operating a combined heat and power
plant that shifts the school from burning number 6 oil to a plant that
runs mostly on natural gas. This new plant will save the school $20
million over the next 20 years. UNH is also looking at the feasibility
of running the new power plant on methane piped from a nearby landfill.
A study by the U.S. Department of Energy ranked UNH in the top 5 percent
of universities when it comes to energy conservation.
These energy achievements are blazing a trail for higher education
across the country. When EPA officials talk to energy managers at
colleges and universities across New England, they point to UNH as an
example of what can be done and how to do it.
Customer comments
No comments were found for UNH is a Model of Energy Management Among Colleges and Universities. Be the first to comment!