Small steps, giant leap: Energy savings of almost $1 million prove that small measures can lead UNC on path toward big changes

The UNC Department of Energy Management’s energy saving initiatives are a financial success and an affirmation of UNC’s commitment to sustainability.

Turning off lights and regulating building temperatures may seem to be trivial tasks. But the benefits aggregate across the entire campus.

The savings of almost $1 million in half a year attest to that.

These measures are only part of a complex and formalized plan of energy reduction on campus that has so far seen great success.

In the 2008-09 period, energy usage per square foot was 8 percent less than what it was in the 2002-2003 period. In fact, energy usage has been lower than the base period every year.

Motivated by environmental concerns and a tight budget, the Energy Conservation Measure project was put in place to optimize energy usage at the building level.

It has been a two-fold success. First, it helped reduce short-term costs by changing energy use by buildings and their occupants.

Second, it puts the University in a much better position to meet its long-term carbon reduction goals consistent with the Climate Action Plan.

This plan sets emissions targets for the University. By 2020 the University is expected to be back at the same emissions level of 2000. By 2050, the University is supposed to be carbon neutral.

This is an ambitious plan. To meet it, the University will not just have to modify how it generates energy, but also how it uses it. This project recognizes this.

UNC’s Department of Energy Management in partnership with the HVAC department estimate that this measure’s savings will result in $4.8 million and a 14 percent decrease in energy consumption.

Such figures validate the effort and stress how small changes can make a big impact.

This is a solid step along the long road to better environmental stewardship and more conservative consumption of energy.