SHELBY — North Central State College received Efficiency Smart’s Ambassador of Energy Efficiency award on Monday, Nov. 7.
The award was presented to North Central State College in recognition of its commitment and innovation in reducing energy use, which was demonstrated by its successful implementation of energy-efficient measures in Shelby.
In 2016, North Central State College partnered with Efficiency Smart on an extensive energy efficiency upgrade. As part of its project, the college installed LED lightbulbs; wall packs; and parking lot lights, high-performance T8s (HPT8s) and T8 lights, and lighting controls. In addition, variable frequency drives (VFDs) were added to motors in the HVAC system, and a new water chiller was installed.
As a result of the project, North Central State College is expected to save 546,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy annually, $56,900 annually, and $828,700 over the lifetime of the installed products.
“The City of Shelby would like to congratulate North Central State College upon receiving the Ambassador of Energy Efficiency Award,” said Shelby Mayor Steven Schag. “The leadership team of the college is to be commended for their proactive and progressive approach to finding innovative ways of reducing energy consumption and thereby saving money for many years to come.
“We are so very blessed to have North Central State College as a community partner in the city of Shelby, and we are pleased that they have taken advantage of the services offered by the Efficiency Smart Program.”
Efficiency Smart has brought value to the words energy efficient, said John Ensman, Director of Utilities for the City of Shelby.
“Since the inception of the program, representatives have been working side by side with Shelby’s commercial and industrial customers on helping them achieve their energy efficiency goals,” Ensman said. “From the initial visit to the completion of the project, Efficiency Smart and North Central State College representatives were committed and dedicated to achieving energy reduction through equipment upgrades that would ultimately reduce their energy consumption.
“The project was a success.”
North Central State College worked with an Efficiency Smart energy consultant and account manager for technical project assistance and to verify savings potential. These resources were made possible through a partnership between Efficiency Smart and the City of Shelby, designed to save Shelby Division of Electric and Telecommunications customers money through energy efficiency.
“In these challenging times, it’s important for NC State to continue working to modernize our facilities for our students,” said Dorey Diab, President of North Central State College. “It’s wonderful when those improvements also provide efficiencies for the college. The improvements at our Kehoe Center are meaningful for our students and for the City of Shelby as well. This project represents a win for everyone involved.”
“We are delighted to recognize North Central State College for making energy-efficient upgrades,” said Everett Woodel, Director of Efficiency Smart. “These projects showcase its strong vision and commitment to reducing energy use and saving money, and the college will enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency both today and for years to come.”
The Ambassador of Energy Efficiency award recognizes entities that have completed substantial energy efficiency projects. To be considered for the award, organizations must be an electric customer of a utility that partners with Efficiency Smart and complete a project that results in significant energy savings for the community.
North Central State College is the 31st recipient of the Ambassador of Energy Efficiency award since its inception in 2013 and is the first organization in Shelby to be honored with the award.
Efficiency Smart’s services include rebates for energy-efficient residential products and rebates for more than 90 energy-efficient products and services for businesses. Efficiency Smart also offers technical assistance, account management services and customized financial incentives for large commercial and industrial customers.
Efficiency Smart was established by American Municipal Power for the benefit of its member communities. It is administered under contract with the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. Operations are based in Columbus, Ohio.
