Commonwealth to Invest $27M to Make UMass Lowell More Energy-Efficient

04/22/2015

Contacts for media: 

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs – Katie Gronendyke, 617-626-1129 or Katie.Gronendyke@state.ma.us

UMass Lowell – Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. – The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will invest $27 million through its (http://www.mass.gov/anf/property-mgmt-and-construction/facilities-mgmt-and-maintenance/energy-and-sustainability/accelerated-energy-program/) Accelerated Energy Program (AEP) in an ambitious plan to make UMass Lowell more energy-efficient and further reduce its carbon footprint, university and state officials announced today.

UMass Lowell, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) will implement more than 200 measures across 32 campus buildings that will reduce the university’s energy costs by an estimated $1.26 million annually as well as improving student learning environments and optimizing facility operations. The project – the AEP’s largest to date – further demonstrates UMass Lowell’s commitment to becoming a leader in sustainability in the community and across Massachusetts. 

The announcement was made at UMass Lowell’s Earth Day Sustainability Festival, where students, faculty, staff and university partners offered demonstrations and information on best practices in sustainability, energy conservation, research and more. The event was one of several for the campus community held during UMass Lowell’s Earth Week, organized by the university’s Office of Sustainability and its Sustainability Committee.

“We are proud of the comprehensive sustainability program on this campus that extends from facilities and faculty research to classroom learning, student organizations and campus operations,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan. “We are at the forefront of investment in energy conservation among public universities and are the proud recipients of two Leading by Example Awards from the Commonwealth. Among it all, the project we are launching today represents the largest step forward in our Climate Action Plan’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality on campus by 2050.”

Launched in 2012 to accelerate the implementation of energy and water conservation projects, the AEP will retrofit 700 sites encompassing thousands of buildings across Massachusetts. The effort is spearheaded by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and the Department of Energy Resources.

“By implementing energy efficiency and solar energy improvements at UMass Lowell, the Baker-Polito Administration is following through on its commitment to invest in clean energy,” said Matthew Beaton, secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “These measures will significantly reduce UMass Lowell’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions as well as energy costs.”

In addition to Beaton, state officials who participated in the announcement included DCAMM Commissioner Carol Gladstone; Dan Burgess, acting commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources; state Rep. Rady Mom and Rep. David Nangle of Lowell; and James Christopher, a UMass Lowell political science major from Peabody who serves as the Student Government Association representative to the university’s Sustainability Committee.

With the energy improvements made possible through the AEP, UMass Lowell expects to reduce total energy consumption by nearly 45,000 MMBTUs, the equivalent of powering and heating 505 homes in Massachusetts, and cut water use by 2.4 million gallons a year. The changes will also eliminate more than 5,070 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 1,067 cars off the road. 

The changes will include:

• Replacement of 26 boilers with state-of-the-art heating equipment that runs on natural gas;
• Upgrades of lighting at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell;
• Replacement or retrofit of nearly 2,500 lighting systems with LED  and compact fluorescent alternatives;
• Upgrades to campus-wide energy-management controls;
• Upgrades to occupancy and comfort controls for lighting and heating systems;
• Addition of more than 630 low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets;
• Replacement or retrofit of approximately 20 chillers and air-handling units;
• Installation of a 200-kilowatt solar photo-voltaic carport on the South Campus Garage with electric vehicle charging stations;
• Installation of solar thermal systems at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center and the UMass Lowell Bellegarde Boathouse.

The financing for the project includes MassSave incentives from National Grid valued at more than $2.5 million, a $100,000 solar thermal grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and other sources, including state bonds available through the Clean Energy Investment Program.

Work on the two-year project is expected to start this summer and will be conducted with the help of Constellation New Energy, which has offices in Lowell’s Boott Mills.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu