MUW Saves $2 Million Through Efficiency Measures

COLUMBUS, Miss — Mississippi University for Women has reduced its energy use by 28 percent with an estimated cost avoidance of $1,957,900 over the past eight years.

Adding controls to six buildings on campus, replacing halogen lights with LED track lighting in the Art and Design Building and installing energy efficient pulse boilers to take the place of steam manufacturing plants to eight buildings on campus are some of the ways The W has ensured greater efficiency of resources.

With the help of the Tennessee Valley Authority, The W replaced 75 metal halide lamps with T5 high bay fluorescent bulbs in the Pohl/Stark gymnasiums and added occupancy controls to provide additional savings. The W will soon begin a project to install building controls in Cromwell Communications Center to improve energy efficiency while making the building more comfortable for students, faculty and staff.  This project is partially funded with a $150,000 grant from TVA.

The W’s current efforts to continue to be an energy efficient campus can be attributed to the Sustainability Committee and Energy Management Subcommittee that works to promote and create programs such as Earth Day, the New Energy Conservation Program and on-campus recycling. The W’s Physical Plant also contributed to the energy efforts by lighting retrofits with energy saving bulbs and fixtures, replacing mechanical equipment with new energy-efficient designs and seeking new funding and grants to complete larger on-campus projects.

“The W has managed to avoid close to $2 million in energy costs thanks to investments from the state in individual meters and building controls,” said Nora Miller, senior vice president for administration.

Miller also added, “Thanks to TVA, Columbus Light & Water and the Mississippi Development Authority for their incentives and programming, thanks to the IHL Energy Council for their support and thanks to everyone on our campus who does their part by turning off lights and other equipment when not in use.”

The end of the fall semester has historically allowed The W to cut additional energy expenses. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas break, electricity usage is estimated to be down by 34 percent and gas usage down by 11 percent.

In October 2009, the IHL Board created an Energy Council to improve IHL energy management practices with support from the system executive office. The Board approved three energy council initiatives: the adoption of a system wide sustainability policy; a system wide approach to energy management; and an energy conservation goal to reduce energy use per square foot by 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015 using fiscal year 2006 as the baseline year.