Energy Conservation

Every little bit helps. Thanks for doing your part!

Energy conservation at the University of Missouri begins at the source — the MU Power Plant. The plant utilizes a process called Combined Heat and Power to produce energy at nearly twice the efficiency of a conventional power plant. Steam produced by burning fuel is used twice — to produce electricity to power campus buildings, and to produce steam for heating and cooling. This efficient, cogeneration process reduces the amount of fuel used to create energy, and also reduces the amount of generated emissions and ash.

Producing energy more efficiently isn't enough, however. Campus Facilities – Energy Management also works aggressively to reduce the amount of energy used by the campus. Since a formal Energy Conservation Program was implemented in 1990, the campus has reduced its energy costs by $4 million a year by implementing proven conservation technologies with a payback of five years or less. Some of these projects include:

• Upgrading interior and exterior lighting to high-efficiency bulbs and ballasts
• Upgrading inefficient HVAC systems and installing motion sensors to turn off lights and set back thermostats
• Installing networked electronic controls to maximize energy efficiency and customer comfort and to track energy consumption in all campus buildings

After the initial project investments are paid back through energy savings, the campus receives the ongoing savings through reduced utility costs. The ultimate goal of the program is to reduce energy costs in existing space by 1 percent annually. The actual average annual reduction has been 1.6 percent.

Click chart for a larger view.

The Payoff

This proactive approach to reducing the cost of the campus energy supply is paying off. While campus building space has grown by 60 percent since 1990, energy use has been reduced by 19 percent per square foot campuswide. This is especially significant because much of this new space is energy-intensive research space.

A campuswide effort

Energy Management is doing its part to reduce MU's energy use, but we can all help lighten the load — every little bit helps! For information on how you can help conserve energy go to:

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