California Community Colleges Board of Governors Honors Winners of 2017 Energy & Sustainability Awards

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors today honored six community colleges, including Butte College, as winners of the annual Excellence in Energy and Sustainability award competition for projects that are protecting the environment and saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The Board of Governors Energy and Sustainability Awards were established in 2012 to recognize leadership in implementing goals set forth in Proposition 39, also known as the California Clean Energy Jobs Act, to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy generation in schools.

Awards are granted in the following categories:

• Excellence in Energy and Sustainability – Proposition 39 Projects
• Excellence in Energy and Sustainability – Faculty/Student Initiatives
• Excellence in Energy and Sustainability – Sustainability Champion.

 

Award winners in the category of Proposition 39 projects are chosen based upon a point system comparing cost savings, energy savings and jobs created by Proposition 39 energy projects. The Faculty/Student Initiatives Award recognizes faculty and/or students who are making a difference in developing sustainability initiatives for their college. The Sustainability Champion is chosen by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office based upon an individual’s contributions in energy savings and sustainability.

The following colleges and college districts were honored for Excellence in Energy and Sustainability – Proposition 39 Projects:

Best Overall District - Large:

Winner: Coast Community College District, Orange Coast College – Interior Lighting Retrofit

Orange Coast College replaced more than 12,500 fluorescent and incandescent fixtures with energy efficient fluorescent and LED fixtures during an interior lighting retrofit in several campus buildings. The total project cost was $887,000 and included approximately $722,000 of Proposition 39 funds, $150,000 of Investor Owned Utility rebates, and $15,000 of district funds. The project is estimated to save 628,000 kilowatt hours, resulting in energy cost savings of $81,000 annually. Additionally, construction of this project created more than 2,500 hours of journeyman employment.

Best Overall District – Medium:

Winner: Palomar Community College District, Palomar College – Retrofit Exterior Lighting with LEDs

Palomar College installed more efficient LED lighting during an exterior lighting retrofit project at both its San Marcos and Escondido sites. The total project cost was $1.4 million and included approximately $516,000 of Proposition 39 funds, $29,000 of Investor Owned Utility rebates, and $850,000 of district funds. The project is estimated to save 463,000 kilowatt hours, resulting in energy cost savings of $74,000 annually. The construction for this project generated 857 journeyman hours and 582 hours of apprentice employment.

Best Overall District – Small:

Winner: Solano Community College District, Solano Community College – Variable Air Volume Conversion

Solano Community College converted 20 air-handling units at various buildings from constant airflow systems to more efficient variable airflow systems. In addition, an additional eight air handlers were enhanced with improved efficient controls. The improved operation of these air-handling units allows for reduced airflow throughout the year while maintaining pre-existing comfort levels. The total project cost was $1.5 million and included approximately $457,000 of Proposition 39 funds, $252,000 of Investor Owned Utility rebates, and $809,000 of district funds. The project is estimated to save 2,048,000 kilowatt hours and 90,000 therms of natural gas resulting in energy cost savings of $191,000 annually.

The construction of this project generated more than 9,500 hours of journeyman and 3,800 hours of apprentice employment.

Retrofit Project Winner:

Butte-Glenn Community College District, Butte College – Skyway Center – EMS Upgrade

Butte College implemented a campus-wide energy management system upgrade project to achieve optimum operating efficiency. The total project cost was $421,000 and included approximately $383,000 of Proposition 39 funds and $38,000 of Investor Owned Utility rebates. The project is estimated to save 130,000 kilowatt-hours and 6,530 therms, resulting in energy cost savings of $111,000 annually. The construction for this project generated more than 2,900 hours of journeyman employment.

Commissioning Project Winner:

Cerritos Community College District, Cerritos College – RCx at Math/Science Building

Cerritos College implemented a retro-commissioning (RCx) project at the Science Building on its main campus. The project involved installing more reliable controls and implementing better control sequences on the air handlers making them more energy efficient. The total project cost was $577,000 and included approximately $350,000 of Proposition 39 funds, $46,000 of Investor Owned Utility rebates, and $181,000 of district funds. The project is estimated to save 62,000 kilowatt hours and 6,900 therms resulting in energy cost savings of $25,000 annually. The construction of this project generated more than 160 hours of journeyman and 41 hours of apprentice employment.

Renewable Energy Winner:

Cabrillo Community College District, Cabrillo College – Solar Thermal Pool Heater

The Cabrillo Community College District completed a solar thermal pool heater project at its Cabrillo College campus, which involved installing new controls and monitoring systems, a new solar pump station, heat exchanger and storage tank, and 56 new roof mounted solar thermal panels. The total project cost was $227,000 and included approximately $137,000 of Proposition 39 funds, $37,000 of Investor Owned Utility rebates, and $52,000 of district funds. The project is estimated to save 7,466 therms, resulting in energy cost savings of $3,700 annually. The construction for this project generated 1,045 hours of journeyman employment.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 114 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education in English and math, and prepare students for transfer to four-year universities. The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/, http://www.facebook.com/CACommColleges, or http://twitter.com/CalCommColleges.