Energy projects projected to save more than $500,000

Energy-efficiency projects at UB made possible by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will save the university approximately $513,000 in energy costs and eliminate more than 2.600 tons of global-warming, greenhouse gas emissions annually.

The NYSERDA-funded initiatives move the university closer to its goal to increase sustainability and  become carbon neutral by 2030.

NYSERDA has awarded $1.4 million for energy-efficiency projects at UB, with almost $1 million of funding—and a resulting $300,000 in energy savings—going towad the LEED-designed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects at Kapoor Hall on the South Campus and Davis Hall on the North Campus.

Other projects include Greiner Hall on the North Campus, the new Educational Opportunity Center building in downtown Buffalo and the renovation of Hayes Hall on the South Campus.

These latest NYSERDA-supported initiatives continue a NYSERDA partnership with UB that has been ongoing for the past decade. Prior to these projects, NYSERDA awarded $1.1 million in incentives to UB for other efficiency advances at newly constructed and existing facilities.

Kapoor Hall, which houses the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, is projected to be 29-percent more energy efficient than required by the New York State energy code. Davis Hall, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ research facility, is projected to operate at 34-percent higher energy efficiency than required by the energy code.

To help offset the incremental cost of higher-efficiency equipment, products and materials, NYSERDA awarded $426,000 in incentives for the Kapoor project and $522,000 for Davis Hall.

Laura Hubbard, UB vice president for finance and administration, says the energy-efficiency support being provided by NYSERDA is helping the university remain at the forefront of sustainability efforts within higher education nationwide.

“The university is committed to instituting best practices in green building and energy efficiency as we develop state-of-the-art facilities and living-learning spaces under the UB 2020 strategic plan,” Hubbard says.

The NYSERDA awards are in addition to an ongoing, $17.9 million energy-efficiency project initiated by the New York Power Authority in July 2012 on the North and South campuses that is expected to save the university more than $750,000 a year and eliminate more than 4,500 tons of carbon emissions annually. That project is the latest phase of energy-efficiency improvements that NYPA has undertaken at UB since 2004.

The NYSERDA energy-saving projects support Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ambitious Build Smart NY initiative to increase energy efficiency in state buildings by 20 percent in seven years by strategically accelerating priority improvements in energy performance. The comprehensive initiative will save millions of dollars for taxpayers and create thousands of jobs, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Increased energy-efficiency projects like those at the University at Buffalo are critical to New York’s future, as they reduce energy use, cut operating costs and improve our environment, while adding jobs to the economy,” Cuomo says. “UB is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and supporting economic development in the region in its partnership with NYSERDA on these improvements.”