DALLAS – Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, announced a project with North Carolina State University to improve energy efficiency and drive sustainable, clean energy projects in 1.6 million square feet of building space across 13 campus facilities. As part of a $20 million performance contracting project, the university will implement 89 separate energy conservation measures (ECMs). Upon completion of the installation, NC State University will save approximately 10,137,668 kilowatt hours of electricity and 68,785 decatherms of natural gas annually, which is equivalent to planting 80,376 acres of trees or removing 43,158 cars from the roads over the next 15 years.
The performance contract with Schneider Electric is helping the university fast-track backlogged building upgrades, and also to meet the requirements of Senate Bill 668 and the President’s Advisory Committee on Efficiency and Effectiveness (PACE) set forth by former University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles to drive energy efficiency improvements on campuses across the state. The project is leveraging NC State University’s expertise in engineering and energy efficiency by tapping more than 10 alumni personnel and one senior engineering student at NC State University in development and construction of the project.
“At NC State University, we’re committed to building a sustainable campus, an effort that drives energy efficiency while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment for students,” said Kevin McNaughton, associate vice chancellor for facilities. “Through performance contracting, we’re able to take on these projects immediately without incurring cost to the taxpayer or the students. We are confident this strategy will reduce continuing costs, provide for better facilities to support education and research, and substantially reduce our carbon footprint."
As part of phase one, a Schneider Electric partner has completed installation of a solar-thermal system on the roof of the NC State University campus gym, Carmichael Complex. Once in operation, the system will help heat nearly one million gallons of water in two swimming pools. The clean energy project features 112 solar panels, each measuring 10 feet by 4 feet, and can heat water to approximately 100 degrees as it is circulated onto the roof and piped through the solar facility.
“Through this performance contract, we are helping the university gain critical insight into energy use and manage energy resources more effectively,” said James Potach, Energy Solutions senior vice president, Schneider Electric. “We’re helping the university achieve its ACUPCC objectives by implementing an energy efficiency project that will make a significant contribution toward reducing the carbon footprint on campus." The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment is a high-visibility effort to address global climate disruption undertaken by a network of colleges and universities that have made institutional commitments to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from specified campus operations, and to promote the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate.
About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centers/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company's 110,000 plus employees achieved sales of more than $26 billion in 2010, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations “Make the most of their energy.”
Related Stories
| Nov 2, 2010
Wind Power, Windy City-style
Building-integrated wind turbines lend a futuristic look to a parking structure in Chicago’s trendy River North neighborhood. Only time will tell how much power the wind devices will generate.
| Nov 2, 2010
Energy Analysis No Longer a Luxury
Back in the halcyon days of 2006, energy analysis of building design and performance was a luxury. Sure, many forward-thinking AEC firms ran their designs through services such as Autodesk’s Green Building Studio and IES’s Virtual Environment, and some facility managers used Honeywell’s Energy Manager and other monitoring software. Today, however, knowing exactly how much energy your building will produce and use is survival of the fittest as energy costs and green design requirements demand precision.
| Nov 2, 2010
Yudelson: ‘If It Doesn’t Perform, It Can’t Be Green’
Jerry Yudelson, prolific author and veteran green building expert, challenges Building Teams to think big when it comes to controlling energy use and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
| Nov 2, 2010
Historic changes to commercial building energy codes drive energy efficiency, emissions reductions
Revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) represent the largest single-step efficiency increase in the history of the national, model energy. The changes mean that new and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC will use 30% less energy than those built to current standards.
| Nov 1, 2010
Sustainable, mixed-income housing to revitalize community
The $41 million Arlington Grove mixed-use development in St. Louis is viewed as a major step in revitalizing the community. Developed by McCormack Baron Salazar with KAI Design & Build (architect, MEP, GC), the project will add 112 new and renovated mixed-income rental units (market rate, low-income, and public housing) totaling 162,000 sf, plus 5,000 sf of commercial/retail space.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 27, 2010
Grid-neutral education complex to serve students, community
MVE Institutional designed the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland, Calif., to serve as an educational facility, community center, and grid-neutral green building. The 123,000-sf complex, now under construction on a 5.5-acre site in the city’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, will be built in two phases, the first expected to be completed in spring 2012 and the second in fall 2014.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
| Oct 18, 2010
World’s first zero-carbon city on track in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City, the world’s only zero-carbon city, is on track to be built in Abu Dhabi, with completion expected as early as 2020. Foster + Partners developed the $22 billion city’s master plan, with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Aedas, and Lava Architects designing buildings for the project’s first phase, which is on track to be ready for occupancy by 2015.
| Oct 13, 2010
Editorial
The AEC industry shares a widespread obsession with the new. New is fresh. New is youthful. New is cool. But “old” or “slightly used” can be financially profitable and professionally rewarding, too.
