Penn State to reduce energy usage through Better Buildings Challenge

With a goal to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent over the next decade, Penn State will tighten its leaky faucets, install LED light fixtures and replace outdated heating systems as part of the U.S. Department of Energys Better Buildings Challenge.

In its third year, the Better Buildings Challenge has committed three billion square feet to improving infrastructure efficiency throughout the United States. It involves 190 different organizations and 600 manufacturing facilities, according to its website .

Penn State has been focused in this area for a long time, Assistant Vice President of Office of Physical Plant Steve Maruszewski said. Being involved in something like this allows us to team up with our peers to find better solutions to learn from each other so we can be more effective at conserving energy.

Penn State is the largest university in the program, with 23,000 acres of land and 32 million square feet of buildings , Alex Novak, director of Communications for the Office of Physical Plant and the Sustainability Institute , said. Other universities in the challenge include University of Virginia and University of Michigan .

Joining the Better Buildings Challenge is part of a longstanding effort to improve the universitys utility functions and replace its outdated infrastructure, Novak said.

Our energy density has already been dropping over the last 10 years, Novak said. This is a pledge to continue with that trend.

Since 2003, Penn State has invested $75 million in energy improvement programs. The university is also making a $60 million investment in energy savings over the next five years. Of a $2.7 billion capital plan, 60 percent is dedicated to building renovations , Novak said.

Participating in the Better Buildings Challenge furthers Penn States energy conservation initiatives.

Really, all of this has been going on for more than 10 years and its gone on under the radar, Novak said. People just dont know whats happening, but were becoming more and more efficient and thats really positive.

Rob Cooper, director of Energy and Engineering for the Office of Physical Plant, said of the projects include improving Penn States heating and air conditioning units, increasing ventilation in laboratories and installing carbon dioxide sensors.

Read more:
Penn State to reduce energy usage through Better Buildings Challenge