Apr. 9, 2007
Media Contact: Tara Laskowski, tlaskows@gmu.edu 703-993-8815
FAIRFAX, Va., April 9, 2007—As Earth Week approaches April 16-20, George Mason University announces that an energy savings performance contract with Siemens Building Technologies Inc. has reduced the university’s carbon dioxide emissions by more than 32 million pounds this year and will do so annually for the next 15 years—the equivalent of taking 2,800 cars off the road.
The university will also continue to save a guaranteed minimum of more than $1 million per year in avoided energy costs.
The contract, signed in April 2005, was the university’s answer to Gov. Mark Warner’s Virginia Executive Order 54, which set a short-term goal for all state agencies of reducing energy consumption by at least 7 percent. From the beginning of the contract term through fiscal year 2007, Mason's projected energy savings will exceed $2.1 million, which is nearly double what the contract guaranteed.
The performance contract allowed the university to upgrade or replace outdated, inefficient mechanical equipment and systems with no upfront costs. Low interest third party financing was secured and the loan is being repaid through energy savings from projects completed under the contract.
"Not only does this project save money for the taxpayers of Virginia, it also is beneficial from the standpoint of respecting the environment. By saving energy, we are also reducing our carbon emissions," said Susan Corry, energy management specialist at Mason.
A total of $12.2 million was invested to begin the initial construction phase that involved a selective upgrade of the university's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, including the replacement of boilers and chillers at the university’s Central Heating and Cooling Plant. The university also enhanced the existing energy management and building automation system.
Mason’s Energy Department also focused on lighting—replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent lamps and installing occupancy sensors that automatically turn off lights if there is no one in the room for a period of time. They also retrofitted or replaced all the fluorescent lighting fixtures—approximately 19,000—on the campus, an effort that reduced lighting energy consumption by as much as 75 percent. The new fixtures will save the university more than $235,000 annually in energy costs.
"Energy performance contracts are great programs not only for state agencies and universities, but also for the commonwealth. As the cost of energy continues to increase, we will have our universities, colleges and other agencies operating more efficiently, which leads to even greater cost avoidance in the future," said Charlie Barksdale, utilities and performance contracting manager for Virginia's Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. "The agencies experience self-funded improvements with no increase in taxes or operational budget, they become more efficient and 'greener' and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced."
The Mason community is already benefiting greatly from enhanced lighting levels, better temperature and humidity control and reduced air emissions. With the upgraded building automation system, the university is better able to control how efficiently its buildings are operated. Buildings can turn "off" during periods of non-use, such as during the December holiday break, and further reduce energy consumption.
Additional projects under the partnership include lighting upgrades to the Performing Arts Building, Robinson Field and the Field House. The university is also purchasing renewable energy and proposing to renovate existing buildings to make them consistent with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems or Energy Star requirements.
About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. Enrollment now tops 30,500, with students in 173 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William. George Mason also currently offers credit classes in Loudoun County. This expansion is part of George Mason’s mission to further establish itself as a distributed university in which each of its campuses has a distinctive academic focus that plays a critical role in the economy of its region.
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