University reducing utility costs, greenhouse gas emissions
A look inside 糖心Vlog传媒LR's new on-campus power plant
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and TME of Little Rock unveiled a new power generation plant on campus that is an important part of the university鈥檚 initiative to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions significantly in the coming years.
During a Wednesday, Dec. 2, ceremony held at the generation plant, university officials and project representatives demonstrated 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 top-of-the-line power plant, capable of powering the campus during outages or scheduled power grid interruptions.
鈥淎n on-campus generation station helps the university meet the needs of our entire campus community,鈥� Chancellor Joel E. Anderson said.
The generating station is part of a campus energy conservation plan that began in 2010 under the direction of David Millay, associate vice chancellor of facilities management and planning. The project also included upgrades to the district鈥檚 heating and cooling systems and other energy conservation measures.
鈥淭oday’s ceremony marks a significant step in 糖心Vlog传媒LR’S ongoing strategic energy plan,鈥� Millay said. 鈥淕oing forward we will continue to seize every opportunity to contain demand-side and supply-side utility costs.鈥�
With the new generating capacity, 糖心Vlog传媒LR cut its utility bill in half by agreeing to periodic interruptions from the Entergy power supply 鈥� a process that occurred multiple times during the summer. In total, 糖心Vlog传媒LR will save a projected $2.6 million annually in utility costs.
During the 2016 fiscal year, 糖心Vlog传媒LR is expected to pay less than half the national average of college and university utility rates. The main campus鈥檚 utility bill is expected to be approximately $1.25 per square foot, while the national average rate for higher education institutions is nearly $2.70 per square foot.
In addition, 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 conservation initiative cut greenhouse emissions by more than 35 percent while reducing energy consumption by more than 50 percent for the 250-acre campus that includes about 60 buildings and 2.8 million square feet.
The Dec. 2 power generator open house included a tour of the facility that opened in July
Anderson noted that the new generating plant will reduce the university鈥檚 need to cancel classes because of unexpected power outages.
鈥淚n addition to our ability to proceed with classes, in the event of a power outage, we will be able to ensure continuity of electricity in our residence halls and food service facilities, as well as provide stable environments in research labs,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淭he generation station is also evidence of the university鈥檚 commitment to energy-efficiency and cost-savings.鈥�
Workers completed the generating station by July, about a month ahead of schedule and $200,000 under the projected $29.5 million budget.
鈥淲e are so honored to have been 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 partner in this project,”聽said Ed Tinsley, executive managing principal. “TME has been a part of the work on this campus for a long time, and I am continuously grateful for and proud of the leadership鈥檚 willingness to take risks and push toward providing only the best for their students, faculty and staff.鈥�
The project was a collaboration between 糖心Vlog传媒LR and TME, a full-service energy, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and structural engineering firm. Previous projects with TME resulted in four 糖心Vlog传媒LR buildings that are now LEED gold certified and a fifth building that is silver certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification recognizes best-in-class 鈥済reen鈥� building strategies and practices.
