University Celebrates "Project of the Year” Award from Energy User News

By Neil Rosenburg

On October 28, Chancellor Gora hosted representatives from the Commonwealth’s Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and the energy service company NORESCO, as well as university administrative and facilities staff, at an event celebrating the completion of UMass Boston’s energy conservation and conversion project and its recognition as “Project of the Year” by Energy User News, an energy services trade publication.

Energy User News annually recognizes innovations in building retrofits or new construction across North America that achieve significant energy and cost savings. For 2002, the publication awarded its highest honor upon the university project that has converted much of the campus from electricity to natural gas, drastically reduced water usage, and greatly expanded and enhanced the campus’s energy management systems which will allow for better monitoring of campus conditions and control over HVAC equipment.

“This energy project is a great example of a public-private partnership that works,” said Gora at the celebration. “It reflects the university’s commitment to use our financial resources wisely, enhance the comfort of the university community by reinvesting in the campus’s HVAC infrastructure, and contribute to society by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

In fiscal year 2002 alone, the university reduced its use of electricity by 31 percent and, as a result, cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses by more than 10,000 tons. The campus also cut water usage by 12 million gallons, or 37 percent. Overall the project is expected to reduce campus’s reliance on electricity by nearly 50 percent, reduce water consumption by over 50 percent, and reduce energy and water costs by a guaranteed minimum $1.9 million per year.

NORESCO President Ted O’Brien presented Chancellor Gora with a proclamation from Governor Swift praising the university’s “successful energy conversion,” as well as a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives that recognized the “hard work, dedication, and commitment to conserving our precious energy.”

Image: Ted O’Brien, president of the energy service company NORESCO, talks with Chancellor Gora and David Anderson of Facilities about UMass Boston’s success in energy conservation and conversion (Photo by Harry Brett)

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