Shippensburg University recently received a $58,000 rebate as part of Pennsylvania Act 129 of 2008. This program was created to meet the Commonwealth’s goal of improving energy efficiency and conservation. SU has participated in the program for three years and to date has received $110,000 in rebates.
The most recent rebate is the result of construction of a central chilled water system that has reduced electrical usage by 1,400 Megawatt-hours per year from previous years. This reduction is substantial as the average residential customer consumes about 10 Megawatt-hours per year, according the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Last year, SU received nearly $20,000 in rebates for LED lighting projects at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center, Ezra Lehman Memorial Library, McLean Hall and all campus elevators. LED lighting was also installed along several new walkways across campus and in the storage parking lot.
The university received $32,000 in rebates in 2015 for similar equipment and LED lighting upgrades.
SU has reinvested most of the rebate dollars into additional energy savings projects. Future energy efficiency initiatives will focus on exterior lighting and interior lighting that operates for extended periods of time.
In addition, SU continues to operate a highly efficient HVAC system that automatically sets back temperatures of unoccupied spaces. This results in one of the lowest dollar per BTU ratios among the 14 State System of Higher Education universities.
