University System of GA Receives $27.3M Through ARRA to Fund Energy-Conservation Projects

The University System of Georgia (USG) has received funding under the State Facilities Retrofit Program to fund 71 energy-conservation measures totaling $27.3 million at 25 colleges and universities across the state. The Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) is providing the funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The energy-conservation measures to be funded consist of lighting retrofits, mechanical/HVAC upgrades and installation of control systems in classrooms, libraries, science buildings and other state-owned facilities.

Sub-metering and re-commissioning are also key components of the program. “Over time, building energy systems can become unbalanced and inefficient, and must be re-commissioned or ‘tuned up’ to operate as originally designed,” said Sandra Neuse, the USG’s assistant vice chancellor for compliance and operations. “In addition, older buildings are typically not individually metered for utilities, so addition of a sub-meter is critical in order to measure and monitor ongoing energy usage and to verify gains from energy improvements.”

Neuse added that the University System is “deeply grateful to Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority for the stimulus funding we’ve received, which will enable us to complete these important projects and reduce our overall energy usage by millions of BTU’s over the next few years.”

Since 2007, increasing energy efficiency in the University System of Georgia’s colleges and universities has been the focus of a system-wide initiative that supports one of the Board of Regents’ strategic goals – to operate more efficiently as a system.

“Even as student enrollment increases, the USG is continually looking for ways to reduce energy consumption in its buildings on a square-foot basis and is committed to meeting the goals of the Governor’s Energy Challenge and achieving ‘best in class’ energy-usage measures,” Neuse said.

The funded projects will conserve almost 344,000 million BTUs annually for an estimated savings of $6 million in utilities costs while achieving other key objectives of the ARRA such as job creation/retention, the support of green industries, and environmental stewardship.

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