Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
480-731-8503
June 19, 2001

The Maricopa Community Colleges Continue Leadership in Energy Conservation

Greater Phoenix - The Maricopa Community Colleges didn't wait until an energy crisis struck to begin their own energy conservation planning. The College District began its energy conservation program in 1994. Even with the addition of nearly 60% more building area since 1994, today's energy cost per square foot for the College District has dropped nearly 5% since then! In 1992-93, the average utility cost was $1.63 per square foot district wide. After completion of energy conservation projects started in 1994, the average utility cost in 2000 dropped to $1.47 per square foot. This represents nearly $1 million in annual operating savings and includes a 62% increase in space and 24-hour operations of some District facilities.

This saving is the result of a well-planned, well executed program funded through the District's 1994 General Obligation (G.O.) bond, at that time the largest publicly approved bond ever for a community college district. The comprehensive planning and success of the District's energy conservation efforts led to a first place recognition in the State of Arizona 1998 Governor's Award for Energy Conservation.

The Maricopa Community Colleges again reacted quickly to the changing energy situation that struck the western United States this year. Months before Governor Hull's May 15 request for conservation and peak use reduction in State facilities, the District had begun its own review and plan to protect itself from projected outages and price spikes in energy costs. When the California rolling blackouts and energy cost spikes hit earlier this year, the District began working with SRP and APS to examine the impact that the situation may have on Arizona. Since the entire western United States is linked by a common electrical transmission system and power is bought and sold by Arizona utilities throughout the western U.S., there is a ripple effect and California's problems could easily hit the Phoenix area this summer. Arlen Solochek, Manager of Facilities Planning and Development for the Maricopa Community Colleges said, "We set a voluntary goal of 5% energy reduction this summer, long before the utilities or Governor made their requests." Solochek explained that the major issue facing the community this summer is low safety margins at peak load times of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, late morning to early evenings). If loads exceed supply, even supply at any cost, the community may see rolling blackouts similar to California, or reductions in the amount of power available, calling for voluntary reductions or curtailments. He also said that both APS and SRP believe that Arizona will get through the summer without problems, but margins are razor thin. Both utilities and the Governor have asked for electrical use reductions, even two or three percent, to increase load margins. The entire Valley has been asked to reduce overall electrical use and thus reduce the amount of high cost power that has to be purchased instead of generated locally. This effort, supported throughout the Maricopa Community Colleges, will also result in further operating budget savings to the colleges. Maricopa Community Colleges is also a corporate supporter of APS's most recent campaign: "Energy: Enough to Use. Not Enough to Waste."

Solochek said that the easiest of the energy conservation strategies for the College District were completed through the 1994 General Obligation Bond Energy Conservation Program, so the District is now turning to operations strategies to provide immediate results. For example, most of the District is continuing summer four-day workweeks, which creates large savings on the remaining weekday including reducing automobile pollution due to employee commuting.

Chancellor Fred Gaskin, per the Governor's request, has asked college presidents to have the thermostats raised by two degrees on their respective college campuses. This results in energy savings of 2% to 3% per degree. For areas that don't have occupancy sensors, college staff will be assigned the responsibility to make sure that lights are turned off when they leave areas. Unneeded outdoor and parking lot lighting will be reduced where it doesn't jeopardize safety or security. Computer monitors will be turned off when not in use for more than an hour and the entire computer will be shut down over night and on weekends. Some areas of computer commons in larger buildings will have unused areas of computers turned off instead of allowing them to run during operating hours. Classes in afternoons will be consolidated into fewer buildings, allowing the District to shut down entire buildings during peak load periods.

Solochek said that the college campuses will be making a special effort to review maintenance conditions of major equipment so that they operate as efficiently as possible. In addition, operating schedules will be updated more regularly to allow central plant operators to reduce cooling in unoccupied areas. All campuses are developing and reviewing operating and contingency plans in case of outages or curtailments. Critical operations and areas needing support will be identified and supported during power outages. If longer outages occur, whether planned or unplanned, other areas like large walk-in food refrigerator or freezer boxes, must be supported. In the case of curtailments, campuses are working on plans to allow them to direct the limited amounts of power to the most critical areas.

Chancellor Fred Gaskin said, "We will continue to make capital investments in energy conservation where it is prudent and where the results provide direct and immediate response to the Governor's and utility company requests. Changes in operations and heightened awareness of users, both at work and at their homes, will provide the quickest and best chance we all have to make it through the summer with the least problems."

The 1994 General Obligation Bond Energy Conservation Program

"The greatest advance in our energy conservation program occurred four years ago, when the citizens of Maricopa County passed the District's General Obligation Capital Bond," explained Solochek. Contained within that bond was a seven million-dollar program designated specifically for energy conservation projects. Just prior to the bond passage, Arizona Public Service provided a grant for Energy Simulation Systems/Comfort Systems ("ESS"), a Tempe engineering firm, to provide an initial study, a District-wide energy survey and an Energy Conservation Master Plan. The District's highest priority is supporting its students, faculty and staff, which forced the College District to use strategies that would have low or no impact to building occupants and yet result in utility cost savings.

Prior to the bond, the District had tried low cost or passive strategies, such as asking the colleges to schedule classes or maintenance work and repairs to a single building instead of spreading them out and building users were asked to turn off the lights when leaving the room. The proposals were not well practiced or enforced and had little significant impact.

ESS and students from the Maricopa Community Colleges surveyed nearly everything on each campus that consumed electricity. From that survey, ESS created an electrical consumption profile showing the uses of energy and then recommended a number of energy conservation measures (ECM's) ranging from energy efficient lighting to conversions of chilled water systems in the central air conditioning plants. From their analysis, ESS calculated projected annual utility savings as well as payback and life cycle costs for each of these potential energy conservation strategies and made recommendations for conservation measures the College District could adopt.

The District elected to do both separate energy conservation projects as well as combining energy conservation upgrades with normal remodeling/renovation projects, new construction and maintenance projects, in order to minimize the number of disruptions to the colleges and maximize overall impact.

For example, a re-lighting program was selected first because it provided the fastest payback and could be done district wide through a one-time bid. It also was selected first to qualify for the remaining utility lighting rebates. Fluorescent tubes and ballasts were replaced with newer, more efficient ones. Incandescent light bulbs in exit lights were replaced with LED's and this cost was recovered in less than eight months. Occupancy sensors were installed in most rooms to turn off lights as soon as occupants left. While the Maricopa Community Colleges spent $2.5 million district wide on this program, including over $82,000 in tube and ballast disposal, the entire cost was recovered within two years.

The next program the District undertook were central plants, where upgrades were made to chilled water pumping and energy efficient equipment and controls were added. This effort was combined into a single program with central plant capacity expansions (for the new buildings on campus), major central plant maintenance projects and replacement of chillers that contained CFC's, the ozone damaging refrigerant. This is a good example of the synergy created by combining a number of bond related needs into a single project. Another example of combinations of strategies was the use of occupancy sensors. Each sensor that is now installed has an extra set of contacts that are wired into the energy management system. Using the same sensor that turns off the lights, the District is now able to reduce cooling to the area the moment it is unoccupied or as soon as the lights go out.

Other energy conservation programs now underway by the Maricopa Community Colleges include the addition of Energy Management System controls in many of the central plants and buildings, bringing both campus buildings and the central plant into coordinated control and optimizing operation efficiency of the plants as well as conversions and upgrades of air handlers in larger buildings and replacements of lower efficiency electrical equipment in buildings. According to Solochek, the balance of the ECM's recommended in the Energy Master Plan will be incorporated until the District runs out of funding or completes all of the projects providing acceptable payback.

In addition to funds provided by the G.O. bond, the energy conservation program qualified for approximately $200,000 in grants and rebates from utilities and other sources, all of which is designated for additional energy conservation work and thus, multiplies the return.

The Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the nation, includes 10 colleges - Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves over 264,000 students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002