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OSU energy program saves nearly $1.4 million |
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Friday, 18 April 2008 |
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First two months of ’08 surpass savings projections Read a day in the life of an energy manager...
 OSU energy manager Patrick Wheeler checks on mechanical systems in the Bartlett Center. Monitoring heating, air conditioning and ventilation is just one of the tasks energy managers complete each day as part of the effort to reduce OSU’s energy bill. They are also actively engaged in helping students, staff and faculty understand and adopt the energy conservation policy.
Total savings for the program’s first five months were $1,385,897, which represents a 14.4 percent decrease in expected energy costs for the five-campus OSU System. The five-month timeframe includes a three-month training period and the first two months of the Energy Conservation Program. The first two months’ results — $316,371 for January and $294,721 for February — are well above the university’s $266,100 per month savings projections.
“We are very pleased with these early results,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “Thanks to the hard work of many, we are off to a good start. We appreciate everyone’s support of this initiative and challenge our campuses to continue to reduce energy consumption.”
The conservation program is being implemented in conjunction with Energy Education, Inc., (EEI), a Texas company founded by OSU alumnus Dr. William Spears. The Dallas-based company specializes in people-oriented energy conservation services, and has helped more than 890 clients save more than $1.5 billion in 21 years.
A diverse team of EEI engineers and conservation specialists work with OSU energy managers and Physical Plant Services and Building Systems Group staff at every campus, continuing to implement key conservation practices, assessing buildings, mechanical systems and equipment, operating techniques and occupancy patterns. The energy managers — five at the Stillwater campus and one each at OSU-Tulsa (which also covers the OSU Center for Health Sciences campus), OSU-Okmulgee and OSU-Oklahoma City — guide conservation efforts for faculty, staff and students throughout the system.
“The energy management team revises heating, ventilation and air conditioning schedules and the air handling systems to accommodate occupancy,” said Dr. David Bosserman, OSU vice president of administration and finance. “Coordinating schedules for when people are actually inside has significantly reduced energy consumption.”
With a diverse set of buildings and facilities across the OSU campuses, OSU energy managers continually re-assess energy needs. Research facilities in particular are given careful attention to ensure that projects are protected while energy is conserved wherever possible.
“The team has done a great deal of work with electricity usage issues, and created a strategic plan for every building that includes implementation procedures,” Dr. Bosserman said. “They’re communicating the standardized best practices to our employees on every campus, and they’ve created a website with OSU’s energy guidelines as well as the energy managers’ contact information for people who have questions or are interested in group presentations.
“It is recognized that changing and honing the energy use habits of our employees are the key to success and the energy managers are exceptional in training and mentoring employees to achieve maximum energy savings,” Dr. Bosserman said.
Optimal temperature ranges for heating and cooling, natural lighting, water usage and unplugging unused appliances and electronics are among the topics addressed in the guidelines.
OSU’s conservation program is designed with four primary goals:
1. Eliminate energy waste and significantly reduce the university’s carbon footprint, which will mean a net savings to the OSU System of $22 million over seven years.
2. Maintain comfort and safety in occupied areas with customized and dynamic operational plans for each campus.
3. Ensure a desirable/optimal educational environment, developing a partnership with the campus community.
4. Establish a sustainable conservation program, being sensitive to the social, environmental and economic benefits of energy conservation.
OSU Energy Savings – October 2007-February 2008
System-wide $1,385,897 14.4%
OSU—Stillwater Campus $1,111,891 14.2%
OSU—Oklahoma City Campus $111,441 24.3%
OSU—Tulsa Campus (includes OSU-CHS) $125,710 19.7%
OSU—Okmulgee Campus $36,855 7.0%
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