OSU energy conservation effort gains national attention

Friday, November 14, 2008

(STILLWATER, Okla., November 14, 2008) -- Oklahoma State University has been selected as one of five finalists for the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (SACUBO) Best Practices award for its energy conservation program.
 
“This is an outstanding honor,” said David Bosserman, OSU vice president for administration and finance. “To be recognized by SACUBO indicates that our efforts are not going unnoticed nationally.  I commend all those working on the energy program, as well as employees and students who are doing their part to reduce OSU energy costs.”
 
OSU’s energy effort is being implemented in alliance with Energy Education, a national conservation company that has helped clients save more than $1.5 billion. The people-oriented initiative requires no capital investment, and is not only self-funding from the start, but preserves funds for educational purposes.
 
Following system-wide implementation, the program is achieving up to 25 percent savings and is on target to reach an expected $22 million net savings over seven years.  OSU is currently outpacing projected net savings by 45 percent, with results from January to September of this year achieving $2.8 million gross savings.
 
OSU is a finalist in the “People-Oriented Energy Conservation” category.  OSU will showcase its program at the SACUBO annual meeting in April, 2009, where the grand winner will be announced.