U Maryland To Reduce Energy Usage at Horn Point Lab

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 04/21/09

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory has selected Constellation Energy's Projects & Services Group to implement energy and cost saving projects. The initiative is expected to reduce energy usage by 15 percent and result in nearly $5 million in energy cost savings over 20 years through upgrades to water and energy infrastructure systems, energy efficient lighting, and insulation improvements in multiple buildings on the Horn Point Laboratory campus.

"As a premier center for research on the Chesapeake Bay and aquatic ecosystems, the UMCES Horn Point Laboratory is proud to take a leadership role in reducing energy usage at levels that can make a meaningful impact on the environment," said Horn Point Laboratory Director Michael Roman.

Energy saved by the Horn Point Laboratory will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of the campus by 2,090 tons annually. The Horn Point Laboratory, a center for research on wetlands, estuarine, and oceanic waters, is located in Cambridge, MD on the banks of the Choptank River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

The initiative will be financed through an energy performance contract that funds infrastructure upgrades through the guaranteed cost savings created by the improvements themselves, a financing structure approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works and State Treasurer's Office. First year energy and operational savings for the Horn Point Laboratory are expected to total $219,000.

This initiative is part of the University System of Maryland's Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative and UMCES's adoption of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to reduce energy consumption. The energy conservation work taking place at the Horn Point Laboratory also contributes to the state's EmPOWER Maryland program, which seeks to reduce statewide consumption of energy by 15 percent by 2015.

Constellation Energy's Projects & Services Group is one of five companies pre-approved by the state of Maryland to provide energy services.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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