Colleges & Universities
Colleges & universities can have a tremendous, positive impact to communities and economies, servicing millions of students and staff and providing local jobs. Providing the energy necessary to operate a safe, comfortable, and engaging environment for faculty and students continues to be challenged by increasing costs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the higher education sector spends approximately $14 million on energy costs in the U.S. annually. With enrollment rates continuing to rise, colleges & universities must find ways to satisfy the needs of a growing student body while simultaneously keeping costs down.
Expertise and Experience in Higher Education
Since 1998, Prism Energy Services has demonstrated a proven track record of delivering energy consumption and cost reduction results for public and private colleges & universities. Our in-house engineers, auditors, and technical experts possess an intimate knowledge of the complex mechanical and electrical building systems found in higher education facilities. They have a practical understanding of specific equipment and system operating characteristics, as well as the optimization of their performance.
Cost-Effective Solutions
Prism utilizes its extensive experience and expertise in the higher education to implement the most cost-effective and technically sound solutions, including:
- LED interior lighting
- LED exterior lighting (walkway, parking, roadway, and façade)
- Simple and advanced lighting controls
- High-efficiency HVAC equipment, including fuel switching
- Specialized HVAC controls
- Energy management systems
- Motors and variable frequency drives (VFDs)
- Demand controlled ventilation (DCV)
- Building envelope improvements
- Exhaust hood controls for labs and kitchens
- Water conservation measures
- Vending machine controls
- Swimming pool covers
- Process measures
Most college campuses are open either 24/7 or long hours to support a secure and structured active campus environment for students to learn and grow into adults and professionals. Lighting and mechanical equipment remain on almost continuously to ensure comfort and safety conditions that students, parents, and faculty expect. Busy college and university campuses, however, typically cannot close classrooms, labs, dorms, or offices for energy efficiency upgrades. Lighting, controls, and mechanical energy efficiency projects must be implemented with little to no disruption of building occupants and perform at the same or better standard of quality and illumination output. Prism has extensive experience and expertise communicating and coordinating closely with facility managers and administration to plan and implement a customized project schedule. Prism’s knowledge of the college and university setting ensures a safe and comfortable environment throughout the project, from the initial audit through the post inspection.
Financial Analysis
To justify the investment cost of an energy efficiency upgrade, Prism presents a simple and transparent proposal, which outlines the following:
- Executive summary
- Project cost
- Utility incentive
- Energy savings
- Cost savings
- Out-of-pocket cost
- Payback and ROI
- Tax benefits
- Detailed written scope and cost breakdown
Our Projects
Prism Energy Services has a proven track record of evaluating, designing, and implementing energy efficiency measures for the higher education sector. Our experienced team has saved higher education institutions millions of dollars in energy costs by installing more energy efficient lighting and mechanical equipment. Some of our satisfied higher education customers include:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Boston University
- University of Connecticut
- Bentley University
- Bridgewater State University
- Providence College
- Stonehill College
- Wheaton College
- Clark University
- Becker College
- New England School of Law
- Nichols College
- Eastern Nazarene College
- Bay State School of Technology