Pepco Saves Delaware College $9 Million in Energy Costs

Pepco Energy Services will save Delaware Technical Community College more than $9 million in energy costs by installing more than $7 million in energy conservation measures at the college’s Wilmington, Stanton, Terry and Owens campuses, according to the company.

The cost savings span the life of the 15-year contract. Conservation measures include converting constant volume air-handling units to variable air volume units on the Owens campus, installing an irrigation system for the Stanton campus sports fields and installing new chillers to replace the multiple, direct expansion units for the Terry campus. In all, the energy savings project affects 19 buildings—more than one million square feet of building space.

Pepco Energy Services – a subsidiary of utility Pepco Holdings – says the project will reduce annual energy consumption by about 21 percent for the Wilmington and Stanton campuses, 16 percent for the Terry campus, and 8 percent for the Owens campus, while decreasing annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2,700 metric tons across all four.

An energy efficiency tax-exempt bond issued by the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility financed the majority of the project.

Construction began in September 2011 and is scheduled for completion by August 2012. In addition to constructing the capital improvements, Pepco Energy Services will also provide instructional support to the college’s new associate degree program in energy management.

In April, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport unveiled a 505-kilowatt solar system installed by Pepco Energy Services. The solar array, along with new energy-efficient lighting, is expected to save the facility nearly $400,000 a year. It’s part of a $21 million contract with Pepco to implement an energy efficiency program for both BWI and the Martin State Airport.

In the last decade, Pepco Energy Services has provided its clients more than $210 million in verified energy cost savings, the company says.