Energy Management

The University’s campus includes over eight million square feet, and is provided with heat and cooling from a central production and district distribution system.

The power plant generates steam for heating from six large industrial boilers fueled by coal, oil, and natural gas. Chilled water is also produced centrally at the plant using a series of seven chillers. Electricity for campus is provided from onsite sources (five steam turbine generators and five diesel engine generators) and through a 138 kilovolt substation interconnection with American Electric Power (AEP).

An average of 60 percent of electricity for campus is generated as a byproduct of both the steam and chilled water production systems, whereas the remaining 40 percent is purchased from AEP.

Campus facilities are dominated by high technology research and teaching venues requiring complex mechanical and electrical systems to support these endeavors. Electrical use is metered in all campus buildings. Steam and chilled water use is managed through a Central Building Automation System (CBAS) that monitors and controls heating and cooling systems in nearly every campus building.

University design and construction standards have provided guidance to engineers, architects, designers, and maintenance staff on means to minimize energy consumption and reduce environmental impact. These standards are applied in the construction of new facilities as well as the renovation of existing facilities.

The first annual Energy Week took place this past October. Activities included a demonstration of electric vehicles, calculation of individual CO2 footprints, and modeling of alternative fuel sources in a wind turbine. The University ran a Lights Out campaign, where individuals on campus were asked to shut off all non-essential lights for one hour on a weekday. This one hour resulted in a 2.7% reduction in electricity, which would translate to considerable savings if done on a regular basis.