UNC recently won a prestigious award that recognizes the University’s effort to cut energy use and reduce the campus’ carbon footprint.
The Association of Energy Engineers’ 2012 Region II Energy Award honored the achievements of the University’s Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) program, which has resulted in avoided energy costs of $11.4 million over a two and a half year period. The program avoided the costs by cutting energy use by 24.5 percent and through accumulated savings of 212.75 GWh of power, 69,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and 44.4 million gallons of water.
The ECM program is a component of the University’s official Energy Use Policy that was enacted in July 2009. It includes seven specific conservation measures that focus on the reduction of the campus’ energy use and carbon footprint, such as reducing or eliminating the heating or cooling of spaces during unoccupied times and establishing appropriate temperature standards for facilities.
The Association of Energy Engineers is a professional society of more than 16,000 energy engineering and management professionals. Region II is comprised of states throughout the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
ECM team members Tommy Anderson and Lane Adams accepted the award on behalf of UNC.
Published January 29, 2013.