Reading, PA - The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) recently announced its 2016 Regional Energy Awards and Susquehanna University’s (SU) Decentralized Campus Heating project was named Energy Project of the Year for Region I (CT, DE, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT). We provided both the heating master plan and design for the project.
Each year, the AEE seeks out the good work that is being done in energy and recognizes individuals, organizations, and projects that stand out from the rest. The project decommissioned SU’s coal-fired central heating plant and installed natural gas condensing boilers to serve each buildings or small building clusters.
Removing the central plant eliminated energy inefficiencies, reducing SU’s MMBtu demand by approximately 35,000 annually, saving them over $400,000 annually. The elimination of coal as a fuel source also reduced SU’s carbon dioxide (CO2) output by 79%, benefitting the environment and the community.
SU’s Director of Facilities, Chris Bailey, PE, said, “It is an honor to be recognized with this award, validating the hard work of all those involved in the project and the University’s commitment to energy and sustainability. The ‘greenest’ Btu is the one you don’t need to produce, and through the project, we’ll be reaping the financial and environmental rewards from that for many years to come.”
Entech’s Principal, (and manager of this project), Bryan Haag, PE, said, “This work embodies our mission as a company, perfectly. We used our technical expertise to help SU evaluate and understand their campus heating options over a 25-year life cycle, and with that, they were able to make an informed decision that saves them energy, money, and emissions, while meeting their organizational goals. We were also able to back up the planning with great design that met estimates, delivering the actual savings and value – that’s what we’re all about.”
This is the second Entech project that has won an AEE award. In 2000, the Tobyhanna Army Depot Decentralized Boiler Plant project was named Retrofit Project of the Year.
About the AEE Awards
The Association of Energy Engineers, a nonprofit professional association of over 18,000 members, is presenting over 70 regional awards to individuals and organizations around the world, recognizing these individuals and companies for their dedication and performance in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industry. The awards ceremony will take place Tuesday, September 20, 2016 in Washington, D.C.