USC Earns $1 Million Energy Rebate from DWP
Among California’s colleges and universities, USC is tops in energy efficiency. Officials say attention to conservation measures, well-contained campuses and mild weather have made all the difference.
Calling the University of Southern California “an environmental leader and trendsetter” among universities and other large institutional utility customers, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has presented USC with a $1 million rebate check for savings realized this year through new energy-efficient power, cooling and lighting systems.The rebate, presented Aug. 28, covers conservation and efficiency efforts that will result in savings equal to the amount of electricity consumed annually by 1,500 homes, according to the utility.
The USC energy savings projects covered by the rebate include new lighting and chillers at USC’s main University Park campus and at the Health Sciences campus in East Los Angeles.
The projects are part of a five-year $10 million Master Energy Plan that have realized a 10 percent savings in USC’s peak power usage, reducing the average 25 megawatt peak load by 3 megawatts.
“The energy efficiency steps that USC has taken in partnership with LADWP are an outstanding model of how a coordinated and planned energy efficiency program can result in real cost-effective and tangible energy savings that are both good for the environment and the pocketbook,” said LADWP General Manager David H. Wiggs.
Wiggs presented the check to Dennis F. Dougherty, USC senior vice president for administration, in a ceremony at the University Park campus.
USC is the city’s largest private employer, and its two large campuses make the university the LADWP’s largest single private institutional customer.
“The savings we’ve realized have been effected though a mix of measures, ranging from new light bulbs to major construction efforts,” said Maurice Hollman, USC’s associate senior vice president for facilities management.
“The Master Energy Program was developed by a group of talented facilities management employees whose vision and technical expertise, in cooperation with the LADWP, have positioned USC at the forefront of campus conservation efforts,” said Hollman.
In 1997, USC launched its five-year Master Energy Program with approximately $10 million budgeted for major energy-saving investments.
“We got a jump on it before the energy crisis hit,” said Dick Snouffer, director of energy services for USC’s facilities management services.
Among the first improvements at both campuses were new lighting systems that require less power.
“We started the lighting retrofits and reduced our consumption before the calls for reduction in consumption began last summer,” said Snouffer.
A new state-of-the-art energy control center provides the capability to monitor and fine-tune energy supply and usage across the campus.
Another major investment was the construction of a roughly 1,500 square foot air conditioning chiller plant in the basement of USC’s Physical Education building, with pipes running underground to supply chilled water to 30 buildings across the campus. This system replaced the individual chillers that cooled each building.
“It’s more efficient to use one central chiller than to use separate chillers in each of these buildings, said Snouffer.
At the Health Sciences campus, a new chiller plant has been installed at the Center for Health Professions. The plant is scheduled to begin operations next month and will supply chilled water to the new Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute, now under construction, and the Harlyne Norris Research Tower, now in the design phase.
By building the chiller in the Center for Health Professions, said Snouffer, the upfront costs for the neurogenetics building and the Norris Tower will be lower and the energy efficiency greater. A future phase will extend the chilled water piping distribution network to serve buildings in the upper-campus quad.
In measuring its power usage and savings against other colleges and universities in the state, USC has found it consistently ranks at the top in energy efficiency, said Snouffer.
“Attention to all of these conservation measures has made a difference, along with our mild weather and the fact that we have two well-contained campuses.”
In the midst of a building boom entailing four new facilities at the University Park campus and four new buildings at the Health Sciences campus, the USC Facilities Management Services department has placed energy efficiency as a top priority in the design and planning process, said Snouffer.
“We’re planning for future buildings in the next three to five years, so when they come online they will be energy-efficient.”
More information about USC’s energy conservation efforts is at http://fmsnet.usc.edu/ .
For more information about LADWP’s energy efficiency programs, visit www.GreenLA.com or www.ladwp.com .
Tags: cooling systems, energy efforts, energy rebate, energy-efficient power, environment, LADWP, lighting retrofits, lighting systems, planned energy efficiency program, reduced consumption, universities, USC