COD energy consumption at lowest point in 6 years

College of DuPage added more than 189,649 square feet of educational space to its Glen Ellyn campus in FY 2011 through the completion of the Homeland Security Education Center, Culinary & Hospitality Center and Student Services Center.

Even so, energy consumption per square foot is at its lowest point in six years, said COD Facilities Director Jim Ma.

“In fact, if we took the average energy consumption per square foot from five years ago (2006-2007) and compared it to the average per square foot of energy consumption for this year, the College has avoided more than $1.1 million in utility expenses,” Ma said. “What this is telling us is that the new building additions and renovations on the campus are extremely efficient,” Ma said.

Energy management initiatives, coupled with LEED certifications and utilizing updated building controls have contributed to significantly reduced energy consumption on the Glen Ellyn campus, Ma said. One such initiative included the installation of a state-of-the-art chiller plant in FY 2009, which uses chilled water to cool the campus at a 52 percent greater efficiency than the system it replaced.

“The college will continue to work in this field to make COD the most energy efficient campus in Illinois,” Ma said. “Given the administration's support and continued funding of energy conservation programs at COD, we expect to accomplish this goal.”

To review the complete FY 2011 Annual Energy Report, visit http://home.cod.edu/Media/Website%20Resources/pdf/NewsEvents/EnergyReportFY2011.pdf.

For more information, e-mail NewsBureau@cod.edu.