Building Upgrades Will Reduce College's Carbon Footprint 36%, Produce Net Operational Savings of $5.6 Million Over 10 Years

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Building Upgrades Will Reduce College's Carbon Footprint 36%, Produce Net Operational Savings of $5.6 Million Over 10 Years

College signs performance contract with Energy Systems Group

Date

September 21, 2010

Contact

John Hopkins
330-263-2082
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President Grant Cornwell and Jim Adams, president of ESG, sign the contract before a crowd of students, faculty, and staff at Lowry Center.

WOOSTER, Ohio, Sept. 20, 2010 – The College of Wooster today signed a $5 million, 10-year performance contract with Energy Systems Group of Newburgh, Ind., to improve the energy efficiency of 34 campus buildings. The upgrades will reduce the college’s coal, natural gas, and electrical consumption while reducing its carbon footprint by at least 36 percent and yield net operational savings of $5.6 million over the 10-year life of the contract.

The college will invest $5 million with Energy Systems Group to upgrade a variety of HVAC and other mechanical systems, building controls, lighting, and windows in the 34 buildings, which were identified as having the greatest potential energy savings. In return, the company guarantees that the college will save an average of $560,000 per year in operating expenses. In any year in which the college does not realize the guaranteed savings, the company will cut a check to Wooster for the difference.

Work will begin Oct. 1 and all building upgrades will be completed by January 2012.

”Because of Wooster’s size, our mission, and our core values, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility not simply to teach about the world as it is and as it could be, but to model, to experiment, to demonstrate social ideals,” said Grant Cornwell, the college’s president. “Nowhere is this more true than with the values and practices of environmental sustainability, and this performance contract will reduce our carbon footprint very significantly.”

“Energy Systems Group is dedicated to implementing an innovative energy efficiency and building modernization program that will augment The College of Wooster’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship and help the College fulfill its goal of becoming a green campus,” said Jim Adams, ESG president.

The College of Wooster is an independent liberal arts college, nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes mentored, independent research. Each Wooster senior works one-on-one with a faculty adviser to create an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 2,000 students.

Energy Systems Group (ESG) is an award-winning energy services company that specializes in delivering sustainable energy solutions that allow building owners to maximize their energy efficiency and operational performance, while reducing their carbon footprint. Through its core business of performance contracting, ESG provides customers with innovative energy efficiency, technology, and long-term financing solutions for modernization of their facilities and energy infrastructure. To learn more about ESG, visit www.energysystemsgroup.com.