What is in this article?:
- Audits and Other Energy-Saving Measures Pay Off for University Rec Centers
- Savings Opportunities
- Sidebar: Energy Audits Do Not Have to Be Expensive
As budgets remain tight at many universities around the country, the need to keep costs low is increasingly important. And as green efforts remain important at many universities, some university rec centers are seeking out energy efficiency as one way to slash operating costs.
As budgets remain tight at many universities around the country, the need to keep costs low is increasingly important. And as green efforts remain important at many universities, some university rec centers are seeking out energy efficiency as one way to slash operating costs.
Often, an energy-savings project at a rec center is part of a campuswide initiative. That was the case at the University of Rhode Island (URI) in Kingston, RI. Art Tuveson, who was director of recreational services at the time and is now assistant athletics director of facility management and planning, found out about the university’s initiative. After asking about the initiative, he was invited to join the technical review committee overseeing the process.
The committee agreed that URI should use the athletic complex—which consisted of four buildings, including one built in 1950 and another built in 1974—as the guinea pig.The school sought proposals from energy service companies (ESCOs), selecting four to offer proposals with conservation recommendations and projected savings.
URI ending up choosing NORESCO, which suggested 14 energy-saving methods, including upgrading the lighting and heating systems, replacing the windows and adding steam radiator controls in the 1950 facility. Computerized controls were added for the HVAC system. The controls can be accessed by the university maintenance division and Tuveson but are monitored by InControl, a company contracted by NORESCO. ROI was guaranteed within 10 to 12 years.
ESCOs are a growing business, Tuveson says. Maintenance of the systems that ESCOs install is part of the ESCO contract. Because these companies guarantee savings, they have to make sure the systems are well kept.
West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, had a similar experience with the ESCO Siemens. It invested nearly $30 million in a campuswide ESCO project that included athletic facilities, says Clement Solomon, director of sustainability at the university. The project, which covers HVAC systems, water conservation and building automation, is now in the last of three phases.
Siemens guaranteed a savings of $745,000 for the first phase.
“Our actual savings ended up to be close to a million dollars,” Solomon says. “Because of the guaranteed utility savings, your return on investment and payback…comes with a lower risk.”
