Thanks to efficiency programs and the relatively mild winter so far, the University's spending on fuel is down this year - a sharp departure from last year's skyrocketing energy costs.
Last year, a spike in energy prices caused the University to exceed its annual energy budget by $3 million. Over the past 10 years, the University's energy costs have increased by an average of 7 percent each year, and at that rate, the University's energy spending could exceed $50 million by 2020, according to a projection by Facilities Management.
"Our projections for this year are that we'll be under budget," said Christopher Powell, energy manager for Facilities Management. "We're in very good shape."
The turnaround, Powell said, was accomplished by implementing "significant" energy efficiency programs, such as improvements to the high temperature hot water distribution system and a project, led by Kurt Teichert, resources efficiency manager for Facilities Management, to make on-campus lighting more efficient. Those measures began to be implemented in 2006 and are about 75 percent complete, according to Powell.
The weather has also lent a helping hand. "The good news from a utility costs standpoint is, up until a couple of weeks ago, it was a mild fall and winter," Teichert said.
Aden Van Noppen '09, an organizer for the emPOWER campaign, a student group seeking to reduce the University's environmental footprint, said there is "no question" about the need to reduce energy costs. Van Noppen serves on the Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee as a representative for the Brown Environmental Action Network.
In addition to reducing costs, Van Noppen said the University must focus on making its energy usage less harmful to the environment, and she said emPOWER is pushing the University to consider "our social role" by committing to climate neutrality. Climate neutrality means that the University would purchase carbon offsets, which finance reforestation or renewable energy projects, to compensate for its energy usage.
Van Noppen also said the University should invest in better insulation for its buildings, more efficient technology and contract with renewable energy companies, "which would stabilize our energy costs because they provide us with one price, while other sources like oil fluctuate."
The University may undertake some of those measures in the near future. The EEAC, which comprises faculty, staff and students, is working on a comprehensive long-term strategic energy plan that will be presented to University officials in April. Those recommendations will focus on "evaluating some significant improvements" that can be made to help control the energy budget and reduce the University's impact on the environment, Powell said.
Powell declined to discuss what the committee's recommendations might be. But he did mention that about 70 percent of Brown's energy goes to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and noted, "We need to focus on those."
Van Noppen said emPOWER members met with President Ruth Simmons on Jan. 25 and that "it was clear that things will shift a little this semester." She said she is confident that "what the EEAC puts forward will be put in place."
But Powell said he doesn't want to wait until April to get started.
"We are going to start some of the pre-processes, like (a) specific-building energy audit," Powell said. "Before we can actually improve the efficiency of a building, we have to go through that building and evaluate all of its systems."
Teichert mentioned other options for the University, such as contracting with companies that produce power from renewable energy sources "in a way that will allow us to make longer-term contracts than what we can do with oil, in which three years is the long term. When you're talking about renewable (energy) contracts, 10 years is a short time frame."
Renewable energy contracts are attractive because they provide stability in moderating utility costs, he said. "If we had some sort of hedge contract like this in place, it wouldn't have obviated that increase, but it would have helped (last year)."
Negotiations with a windpower company have been held for over two years, Teichert said, but difficulties in placing the plant have kept the project from being implemented.
