Working with Cenergistic, Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss., has achieved $4.5 million in cost savings in 43 months. Cenergistic’s Transformational Energy Management process trains its clients’ personnel to implement behavioral and organizational changes that reduce energy consumption without the purchase of new equipment. The program is funded solely by the savings it generates, allowing clients to redirect saved energy dollars to other priorities.
Cenergistic awarded Hinds its Energy Excellence Award this month, recognizing the college for exceeding the amount of savings Cenergistic projected.
As part of the program, Cenergistic’s energy engineers start with onsite assessments to analyze use and needs at all hours of the day and night, logging temperature, humidity and other conditions important to equipment and facility use. Hinds Community College designated two of its employees to track energy consumption – including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil – using energy-accounting software. The Hinds employees then compare current energy use to a baseline period and calculate the amount of energy that would have been used had conservation and management practices not been implemented. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, they can quickly identify and correct areas that need immediate attention.
In other education news, the Indiana Area School District in Indiana, Penn., announced a $16 million agreement with Constellation to engineer and implement energy and water conservation measures and building infrastructure upgrades to the district’s maintenance and administrative buildings.
Under an energy performance contract with Constellation, the conservation measures are guaranteed to provide the district $5.6 million in energy savings over 15 years. The conservation measures and infrastructure upgrades to be installed by Constellation include: energy efficient lighting and occupancy sensors; low-flow toilets and faucets; HVAC replacements and direct digital controls upgrades; building mechanical systems upgrades; caulking and weather stripping; and roof replacements. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.
Constellation also will work with the Indiana Area School District to implement a program to educate students about the importance of energy conservation and ways to reduce energy usage.