University of Maryland Secures $18.3 Million for Energy Conservation Projects

The University of Maryland has successfully secured $18.3 million from the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC) for the development of a $21.5 million energy efficiency project to support the implementation of various energy conservation measures. The project will impact eight on-campus buildings, such as J.M. Patterson Hall and Hornbake Library.

Yielding more than $1.7 million in annual energy savings, program features include LED lighting upgrades, water conservation measures and lab ventilation controls upgrades. It is anticipated that this project will reduce campus wide energy consumption by approximately 6 percent.

"This performance agreement will help the university to reduce its energy consumption and provide important savings via the various energy conservation measures that will be deployed,” said Mary-Ann Ibeziako, Director of Engineering & Energy. “We are grateful to the MCEC for facilitating the financing of this critical project."

Through the Maryland Clean Energy Capital program, MCEC and UMD chose to develop the project under a joint energy savings agreement, ensuring both organizations will share in the benefit of the cost and consumption reductions. In order to facilitate project construction and secure operating performance guarantees, MCEC entered into an energy performance contract with Constellation NewEnergy, Inc.

“MCEC is proud to continue providing technical support and advantageous capital to enable the success of similar energy projects in Maryland,” said Wyatt Shifflet, Director of Finance Programs for MCEC. “Working in partnership with facilities managers and project developers, like UMD and Constellation NewEnergy, we can effectively bring about desired cost savings, building improvements and the associated employment, not to mention the related environmental benefits.”

The project reinforces the University President’s Energy Conservation Initiative, which aims to reduce energy consumption 20 percent from 2015 to 2020. The university is also working on a Climate Action Plan goal of being a carbon neutral campus by 2050. Among the activities undertaken to reach carbon neutrality: implementing large-scale renewable energy projects, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from new construction and university air travel, and promoting more sustainable transportation options to the campus community.

“Constellation supports the University of Maryland’s goal of reducing energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020,” said Michael D. Smith, senior vice president, Distributed Energy for Constellation. “We’re excited to help enhance the learning environment through infrastructure and energy improvements for the university’s students, faculty, and staff.”

For more information, about University of Maryland sustainable energy efforts, visit go.umd.edu/xrf.