Energy-efficient projects save $10.8 million since 2008
Going green is becoming more cost-effective for Central Michigan University.
Since 2008, the university has saved $10.8 million through energy savings, rebates and other sustainable actions.
Facilities Management's budget has received no increase since 2008-09. This effort to keep the budget static matches an increasing number of energy-efficient projects on campus.
"We've worked hard at keeping energy costs down," said Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Steve Lawrence. "This is our seventh year of no increase to the utilities budget and we have completed over 100 energy-optimization projects on campus."
But what does "going green" mean?
Despite its efforts, CMU's carbon footprint has increased by 24 percent since 2008. A carbon footprint is a measurement of carbon compounds, such as CO2, that are released when fossil fuels are burned.
The university's carbon footprint in 2014 was 108,972 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is an increase from the start of sustainability projects in 2008, when the footprint was only 87,439 metric tons.
Most of CMU's carbon emissions come from heating, electricity usage and refrigerants. These comprise 70 percent of CMU's carbon footprint, while purchased electricity and the combined total of travel, commuting, solid waste, paper purchased and waste water make up the remaining 22 and eight percent respectively.
Last year, CMU's carbon footprint was higher than Ohio, Grand Valley and Western Michigan universities, when compared to the size of their buildings. CMU was measured as having 18.38 metric tons per 1,000 square feet compared 14.9 and 16.6 readings of other universities. Ball State University and Temple University were measured at 18.91 and 20.56 respectively, higher than CMU.
These increases are due to high energy consumption in academic spaces, according to a report complied by the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. This report, released in September and edited by the Great Lakes Institute for Sustainable Systems, details CMU's sustainability efforts from 2012-15.
Various conservation projects have kept CMU's energy costs and footprint low despite new developments on campus.
These projects must walk a line between being environmentally-sustainable and cost-effective, Lawrence said. Projects with the greatest return on investment and energy reduction relative to cost are most attractive to facilities. The total invested in these projects as of September 2015 has been $2.9 million. The return thus far has been $1.8 million and is expected to increase moving forward.
"We've added 212,900 square feet to campus since 2008," Lawrence said. "We've consumed 3.68 percent fewer megawatt hours of electricity, despite a 3.82 percent increase in space."
Heating campus has also become cheaper, going from $1.36 per square foot to $1.20 since 2008.
"We've used savings to do maintenance, solve problems around campus and fix equipment in the Powerhouse," Lawrence said.
Some of the biggest changes to make CMU greener are small things. Water usage in on-campus buildings and residence halls decreased. Faucets that don't use as much water were installed in bathrooms across campus. This coincided with the installation of variable toilet flushing systems, which give the user the option to use less water for liquid waste. These reduce the amount of wasted water.
Water usage has decreased dramatically. In 2008 the university used more than 170 million gallons -- enough to fill nearly 9,000 in-ground pools -- to less than 130 million in 2014. Sewage usage has decreased from 155 million gallons to 111 million last year.
That means CMU has saved $693,342 in both water and sewage expenditures since 2008.
Aside from saving water, several buildings on campus have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications. These rankings are based upon the number of points awarded by the United States Green Building Counsel.
The Graduate Housing Complex has received a Platinum Certification, the Education and Human Services building has received a Gold Certification, Ronan and new additions to CMED have received silver while renovations to the Bovee University Center received regular certification.
"You have to ask, 'How do I reduce waste?'" Lawrence said. "You design the buildings to reduce energy consumption through buying local and recycling waste from construction sites."
These efforts extend to the maintenance of buildings as well. According to the report, 87 percent of cleaning products and practices across campus are "green" and custodial staff are required to participate in 24 hours of related training per year.
"Why should we be exposing students and staff to toxic chemicals we can clean safely?" said Great Lakes Institute for Sustainable Systems Director Tom Rohrer.
Rohrer estimates that the microfiber cleaning cloths used by the university save $54,000 annually on paper towels.
Motion-activated light switches are installed in 25 buildings around campus to counteract increasing energy costs. Lights left on overnight are a culprit in CMU's high energy consumption said Director of Energy and Utilities Mike Walton.
"We could save a lot of energy if lights around the university were used properly," Walton said. "We need to make people aware of that."
In the September report, an ongoing goal was established for CMU to produce as much of its own electricity as possible. Since the wood chip boiler was shut off in December 2012, the CMU's Powerhouse now runs exclusively on natural gas. During the last fiscal year, it produced 55.15 percent of the electricity used on campus. The remainder was purchased through Wolverine Power Marketing Cooperative.
The project with the highest return has been the installation of 46 variable frequency drives on electric motors across campus, netting a 400 percent return on investment.
