Programs

Energy Star / Green Light

The University of Michigan's commitment to Energy Star began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the University executed on June 19, 1997. The MOA signified the University's intention to implement the five-step Energy Star program in all major General Fund facilities, which at that time comprised 119 buildings having a floor area of 12 million square feet and a combined energy budget of $38 million.

The University's approach to Energy Star was spelled out in a proposal dated April, 1997 which was presented to Plant Operations management, and subsequently to the U-M Board of Regents in October, 1998. The proposal laid out a detailed strategy for completing the five Energy Star stages in all General Fund buildings:

• Stage 1: "Green Lights" - Lighting System Retrofits
• Stage 2: Building Mechanical System Tune-up
• Stage 3: Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning (HVAC) Load Reduction
• Stage 4: HVAC Distribution Improvements
• Stage 5: HVAC Plant Improvements

The proposal budget indicated that a six-year commitment would be required to complete the tune-up, engineering analysis, and capital improvement phases of Energy Star, five years at a funding level of $4.4 million, and a sixth year at $2.5 million. The budget was allocated as follows:

Total program funding over the six-year term was projected to be $24.5 million.

The proposal estimated that the implementation of Energy Star would result in energy cost reductions, at the end of the program, of $5.7 million annually.