Inside This Edition What's New » SRC Endorses American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment » Benchmarking Makes the Grade: Enhancements to EPA’s Portfolio Manager SRC Higher Education Support » Financing Tools for Higher Education » Get A+ Efficiency with an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room » Furman University Making South Carolina Greener Upcoming Events » ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Pledge and Bus Tour » Upcoming Events

SRC ENDORSES AMERICAN COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS CLIMATE COMMITMENT

On August 8, the SRC announced its endorsement of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), an effort to help America’s colleges and universities advance climate neutrality. The SRC believes that addressing climate change in higher education curriculum as well as campus operations is an urgent and integral part of the solution to global warming. Higher education prepares the incoming workforce and disseminates the knowledge that helps society create the technologies, policies, and measures necessary for a sustainable environment.

The ACUPCC, which has garnered support from more than 400 colleges and universities since its 2006 inception, involves developing a comprehensive climate neutrality plan, completing tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (such as procuring ENERGY STAR qualified products and purchasing electricity from renewable sources), and periodically demonstrating progress in reports for public consumption. The SRC urges presidents and chancellors from the southeast to become signatories of the ACUPCC.

For more information, contact Andrea Putman, ACUPCC Implementation Advisory Committee member and SRC Higher Education Sector Lead at aputman@cadmusgroup.com.

Back to Top

BENCHMARKING MAKES THE GRADE: ENHANCEMENTS TO EPA’S PORTFOLIO MANAGER

EPA makes it easy for the SRC to track energy performance improvements through Portfolio Manager, a Web-based tool that allows users, including higher education facility owners and managers, to track and analyze the energy data of their buildings. With recent enhancements to the tool, colleges and universities can now use EPA’s Portfolio Manager to measure and track campus-wide energy use and savings over time; set building performance goals and prioritize building upgrades; and earn the ENERGY STAR for residence halls, office buildings, and campus hospitals.

Portfolio Manager’s functionality is no longer limited to a particular building type. Energy data can be tracked for any building, in any campus configuration, with any combination of energy meters. Additionally, in recognition of the relationship between water and energy use and in support of tracking all utilities, Portfolio Manager can also now track water data for any facility.

EPA also collaborates with energy service companies and utilities to implement automated benchmarking. This program, which enables data imports through an XML schema, avoids the manual entry of energy data into the Portfolio Manager tool.

To find out how to benchmark your facility, go to www.energystar.gov/benchmark.

Back to Top

FINANCING TOOLS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

This edition of the SRC newsletter focuses on support and programs for higher education institutions. Often, administrators or managers feel that they must postpone installing energy efficiency upgrades because they do not have the funds readily available in their current budgets. However, delaying energy efficiency upgrades for as little as one year can prove to be an expensive decision, especially when you factor in energy waste that may be occurring at your organization's inefficient facilities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that as much as 30% of the energy consumed in commercial buildings may be used unnecessarily or inefficiently. Sometimes the money lost due to inefficiencies over the span of one year can total more than all the costs of financing energy upgrades over the course of the entire financing period. This makes financing energy efficiency projects a good business decision.

When energy efficiency projects are not in the current budget, you should consider pursuing the following alternatives rather than waiting for the funds to become available:

• Conventional Loans
• Leasing (taxable or tax-exempt)
• Performance Contracting
• Power Purchase Agreements
• Grants
• Program Related Investments (PRIs)
• Capital Campaigns
• Gifts or Donations

Catalyst Financial Group, Inc. is an integral member of the SRC support team. For over 20 years, Catalyst has been a leader in providing innovative financing solutions for customers who want to reduce the environmental impact of their operations or contribute to sustainable business practices.  Catalyst provides funding information, consulting services, and financing programs that encourage investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, pollution prevention, green buildings, natural products, and other socially responsible businesses.

EPA’s ENERGY STAR tools and resources can help colleges and universities in SRC member states make more informed decisions about their energy efficiency projects and operational budgets.  Of particular interest is ENERGY STAR’s Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator (developed by Catalyst Financial Group and The Cadmus Group), which addresses three common questions: (a) How much new equipment can be purchased from the energy savings? (b) Should the equipment purchase be financed now or is it better to wait until funds are available in a future budget? (c) Is money being lost by waiting for a lower interest rate? 

Download the Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator spreadsheet (.xls).

Back to Top

GET A+ EFFICIENCY WITH AN ENERGY STAR SHOWCASE DORM ROOM

A creative way of encouraging residents in student housing to embrace energy efficiency is to create an ENERGY STAR Showcase Dorm Room. The dorm room alone saves a moderate amount of electricity, but the emphasis is on how much the school could save if every dorm room on campus used ENERGY STAR qualified products. Many colleges and universities have Showcase Dorm Rooms, including Tulane University, University of California (UC) Berkeley, and Oberlin College.

By taking the following steps, create a Showcase Dorm Room on your campus and enjoy the savings.

1. Select a Project Coordinator

Select a faculty or staff member to help students run the project and handle any administrative hurdles.

2. Solicit Administrative Support

Clear the project through appropriate administrative channels. Get the blessing of your Residence Life Program and/or Dean of Students before you begin and be sensitive to security concerns raised by inviting outsiders into residence halls.

3. Choose the Students and the Room

Use the room that the selected students have secured for the upcoming year or pre-select a room or apartment in which the students will reside. If possible, select a dorm room that is individually metered. Talk with your housing and facilities departments for metering assistance.

4. Identify Which Products to Showcase

To figure out which products carry the ENERGY STAR label, visit www.energystar.gov. You will find which manufacturers make ENERGY STAR qualified products and which of their products bear the ENERGY STAR label. You will also find savings calculators to help estimate energy savings.

5. Solicit Sponsors (optional)

Many utilities and some states have funds to promote energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR can provide you with a list of ENERGY STAR partner manufacturers and vendors that you can contact to see if they are interested in showcasing their products in exchange for publicity. Don’t forget to talk to the managers of the campus bookstore to see if they would be interested in showcasing ENERGY STAR qualified products, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), lamps, and small appliances or electronics.

6. Meter the Room (optional)

If you were able to secure an individually metered space, you should be able to get specific measurements of the energy saved by your showcase dorm room. This allows you to more accurately estimate the savings if every dorm room on campus used ENERGY STAR products.

7. Retrofit the Room With Additional ENERGY STAR Products (optional)

Consider retrofitting the room’s light fixtures and fans to further emphasize the room’s energy savings. Such a retrofit may not be an option for everyone, so talk with your Housing and Facilities departments.

8. Create a Buzz on Campus

Host a Grand Opening. Invite school officials and reporters from your school and local media, and create a buzz! Take lots of pictures! To keep the buzz alive, invite faculty and key administrators, give them a tour, ask for their suggestions in educating people or incorporating consideration of ENERGY STAR into purchasing decisions, and then follow up on their suggestions after the event.

9. Promote the Room in Your School and Outside Publications

Submit articles to energy efficiency- and higher education-specific publications. Provide the publications with the details of the energy and cost savings, as well as the pictures from the Grand Opening. Get quotes from students about the process and how they feel about their contribution to better energy performance and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

10. Leverage the Success of the Dorm Room to Promote Other Energy Efficiency Projects

Leverage the attention you are receiving from the Showcase Dorm Room to promote other energy efficiency measures. Talk to your college or university about benchmarking the energy use of the entire campus.

If you would like to get your college or university involved in this or other energy efficiency efforts, please contact the SRC Higher Education Lead, Andrea Putman, at (703) 247-6157 or aputman@cadmusgroup.com.

Back to Top

FURMAN UNIVERSITY MAKING SOUTH CAROLINA GREENER

In its journey to sustainability, Furman University has taken more than a single step. By integrating environmentally friendly practices into campus life and its overall strategic plan, Furman has become a model for how universities in the southeastern states can save energy and money.

“Such stewardship is one of our most precious resources; it has enabled the university not only to survive but to flourish,” said David Shi, President of Furman University. “So it is especially fitting that the university has adopted a commitment to environmental sustainability as one of its foremost strategic goals.”

Furman’s commitment to sustainability is evidenced by energy conservation and sustainability initiatives, such as:

• Campus-wide energy sub-metering
• Central plant addition
• Centralized Building Automated Systems
• Alternative energy systems, such as solar thermal energy, which has resulted in $200,000 + in energy savings since the implementation of 60 solar-thermal panels in 1985
• Annual deferred maintenance projects
• Campus energy use policy
• Since 2002, all new construction and renovations to be completed to LEED® standards including:
  • Hipp Hall, first LEED building in SC (2003) and only gold certified until 2007
  • Townes Science Center—an expected LEED Gold certified building with a solar aquatic center and chilled beam HVAC
  • Cliffs Cottage—the campus sustainability center—an expected LEED Platinum building
• Integration of sustainability into the curricula, requiring for graduation at least one course dealing with human interaction with the natural environment

Furman is a national leader among liberal arts colleges committed to sustainability, both educationally and operationally. And the journey to sustainability has not ended for Furman. Future efforts include extensive investment in renewable energy, continuing recruitment of green students, and more sustainability education.

Back to Top

ENERGY STAR CHANGE A LIGHT, CHANGE THE WORLD PLEDGE AND BUS TOUR

SRC is committed to saving energy and protecting the environment. The ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World campaign brings individuals and organizations together in the southeast and throughout the nation to save energy and help fight global warming simply by encouraging a switch from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs that have earned the federal ENERGY STAR label for energy efficiency.

The ENERGY STAR Change a Light Bus Tour will kick off on ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day (October 3, 2007), travel coast to coast, and stop for events in 10 cities over a period of 20 days. On October 15, the bus will stop in Atlanta, GA, at Durham Middle School for a media event hosted by EPA, followed by a consumer event hosted by Georgia Power, The Home Depot, and bulb manufacturer TCP. The event will include students and teachers, campaign spokespeople, and local leaders who will welcome the Bus Tour to the city, discuss the importance of energy efficiency, and encourage members of their community to take the Change a Light Pledge. Students will also be able to visit the bus' traveling Education Center, sponsored by ENERGY STAR award-winning partner JCPenney, and present special projects on energy efficiency.

Today, October 3rd, marks the third annual Change a Light Day, and hundreds of organizations announced their participation in the pledge. Please join the Southeast Rebuild Collaborative now in taking the pledge. It's a simple commitment that will go a long way to ensure that the energy resources we rely on and the environment we live in are preserved for generations to come. Take the pledge and help demonstrate that SRC members are a significant part of this vital national movement.

Back to Top

Spread the word! The SRC encourages you to forward this first newsletter to your friends and colleagues to invite them to join our energy efficiency efforts. Click the Send to a Friend button below!