University of Kansas Energy Retrofit to Save $2M a Year

by | Mar 25, 2010

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kuThe University of Kansas is starting work on a $25 million project to make the campus more energy efficient, with an expected payoff of $2 million a year in energy savings, upon completion of the work.

KU is working with Energy Solutions Professionals on the improvements to 56 buildings.

Work will include upgrades to lighting, heating and cooling, ventilation and plumbing, reports the Lawrence Journal-World.

If the project does not result in the promised energy savings, Energy Solutions will pay KU the difference for up to 15.5 years after the completion of the improvements.

Jeff Severin, director of KU’s Center for Sustainability, said the project is funded in such a way that it “doesn’t impact the budget.”

Among the changes to save energy, new swimming pool covers will be installed, and laboratories will be updated with newer fume hoods.

Behavioral changes, such as turning off lights and computers at night, should yield about $200,000 of the projected savings.

Recently, both New York University (NYU) and Johns Hopkins University released climate action plans that set goals for reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency and boosting their use of clean and renewable energy sources.

NYU’s action plan focuses on four key strategies: to reduce energy intensity (50 percent of its climate neutrality goal), generate and use cleaner energy (30 percent of its goal), generate renewable energy (10 percent of its goal), and reduce or offset remaining emissions (10 percent of its goal).

The Johns Hopkins University climate action plans call for an investment of more than $73 million in conservation and energy efficiency measures to cut its carbon-dioxide emissions by more than half from projected levels by 2025. The goal is to cut 141,000 metric tons annually in 15 years from an initial reduction of 81,000 metric tons per year.

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