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Efficient for students: Our college cuts its energy costs by 17 percent

05/03/2012

Edmonds College made energy efficiency updates on campus and took the Snohomish County PUDs pledge to reduce its energy costs by 10 percent in 2011 — and we did it. Actually, our costs were down 17.4 percent from our average for last year. State Jobs Act funding helped the college pay for upgrades such as retrofitting a main boilers to save on gas costs and installing energy efficient lighting in college parking lots. As state funding for higher education has declined, energy efficiency has been one of the college's strategies to reduce costs in ways that won't be felt by students.

News release via Snohomish County PUD

PUD & Local Businesses Cut Energy Use by 10 Percent

Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) and 11 other local organizations have cut energy use in their buildings by 10 percent or more as part of the PUD’s community-wide Energy Challenge. The program calls on PUD customers – both businesses and residents – to reduce energy usage, which in turn helps the environment and keeps rates low by reducing the need for new power generation.

About 130 local businesses have joined the Energy Challenge. Their collective 2011 energy savings reached nearly 18 million kilowatt-hours, enough to power more 1,500 homes annually.

Businesses Hitting 10% Goal

  • Dykeman Architecture
  • Edmonds College
  • Fluke
  • Intermec
  • Judd & Black - Everett store
  • Kidder Mathews - 4 buildings
  • Lake Stevens School District
  • Philips Ultrasound
  • Premera
  • QFC stores: Claremont, Broadway, Mill Creek and Mountlake Terrace
  • Snohomish County
  • Snohomish County PUD

“By questioning the way things have always been done, we’ve identified some innovative approaches to energy efficiency,” said Kidder Mathews Senior Property Manager Earl Wayman. “My motivation is for sensible sustainability to save operating expenses for our tenants and owners.”

The PUD was the first to pledge to reduce its usage by 10 percent. It first achieved its goal in 2010, with a reduction of nearly 1.1 million kilowatt-hours. Building on that success, the PUD achieved a 13% reduction in 2011, with savings of 1.35 million kilowatt-hours.

“The Energy Challenge empowers customers by providing resources and recommendations to achieve their conservation goals, in turn saving them energy and money,” said PUD General Manager Steve Klein.

All types of organizations have pledged to reduce their energy use – restaurants, schools, healthcare firms, property managers, local government agencies, retail stores and more. More than 4,500 households also have joined the Energy Challenge.

“The PUD has helped us find innovative solutions to save energy and money as well as raise awareness of resource conservation with our employees and the community,” said Snohomish County Energy Analyst Lisa Dulude.

To learn more about the PUD Energy Challenge, call the Energy Hotline at 425.783.1700.
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