The University of Illinois, Urbana has not only met its goal of reducing energy consumption by 10 percent, but has saved a whopping $5 million as a result. The college started the project to cut its energy use only 10 months ago, but they had given themselves a year to accomplish their goal.
The reduction in energy use was achieved by updating old lighting fixtures and ballasts in the buildings that used the most electricity. The school identified 44 buildings to update and have already made the changes in 24 of them. The remaining buildings will be updated in the second phase through the end of the year.
Another major factor in the energy savings was the installation of programmable controls and occupancy sensors in several buildings. The controls have not only led to a 27% energy savings in each building that they were installed, but the Facilities and Services Department has reported fewer complaints involving the heating, cooling and lighting systems.
The project was funded mainly by grants and rebates and cost about $5 million so far, so the updates have given the school an almost immediate return on investment. The school estimates that the upgrades will amount to energy bill savings of $1 million a year and as they continue to increase energy efficiency in more buildings, they expect to see that number rise.
|
