HACC, PennSEF and Schneider Electric develop 15-year project
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Conservation, renewable energy use and updated infrastructure are anticipated to reap $15 million in savings over 15 years for HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.
Funding for the estimated $12.6-million project comes from a Pennsylvania sustainable energy program guaranteed savings agreement with Schneider Electric and is guaranteed to produce more than $13.5 million in energy savings over the next 15 years. HACC will also realize a minimum of $1.6 million in added savings through a solar power purchase agreement.
The project will modernize HACC’s critical infrastructure with energy-efficient, sustainable technologies and optimize learning environments. Schneider Electric will address HACC’s maintenance backlog and modernize campus buildings, many of which were built in the 1960s. Improvements will include a comprehensive light-emitting diode (LED) lighting retrofit; heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades; water conservation systems; and building automation. The project started April 1 and will be completed over the next 18 to 24 months.
HACC has tasked Schneider Electric with administering a request for proposals to select a vendor for the solar purchase power agreement. After selection, Schneider Electric will continue to work with HACC to ensure smooth implementation and alignment with the overall facility improvement plans.
“Since funding for capital improvements is usually challenged, this guarantee will afford us an opportunity to make large scale facility improvements that save energy and money without any upfront costs. The implementation of this project addresses the need to modernize our aging infrastructure to create a better learning environment for our HACC community and brings us closer to our long-term sustainability goals,” said HACC President and CEO John J. “Ski” Sygielski, MBA, Ed.D.
“HACC’s initiative to prioritize sustainability creates a foundational path to improve learning outcomes for students,” said Tammy Tolle, Schneider Electric’s vice president of sales. “We are proud to add our work with HACC to our growing portfolio of higher education facilities serviced across the country.”
HACC was supported in developing and gaining approval of this project by the Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Finance Program (PennSEF), a partnership between the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment (FREE).
“This is a great project, and both HACC and Schneider Electric deserve to be recognized for their leadership in using conservation and renewable energy to cut costs,” said Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. “PennSEF projects are a fantastic way for nonprofits and government agencies, including counties, school districts and municipalities, to receive guaranteed savings while conserving energy and water. Treasury’s partnership with FREE to create PennSEF can benefit entities all across Pennsylvania. I hope many others will follow HACC’s lead.”
PennSEF advises interested nonprofit and governmental entities to develop prudent, market-based projects that promote energy and water efficiency, clean energy generation, economic development and environmental improvement. PennSEF provided legal, technical and analytical assistance throughout the planning of the HACC project, using its expertise to support the College’s efforts to realize improvements for its campuses, and helped negotiate a contract that ensures the resulting savings will pay for the total cost of the technology upgrade.
John Byrne, Ph.D., FREE’s president and chairman, applauded HACC’s launch of this triple bottom-line project that:
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 14,023 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.
About FREE
The Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment is an international, non-profit organization based in the United States established in 2011 to promote a better future based on energy, water and materials conservation, renewable energy use, environmental resilience, and sustainable livelihoods and environmental justice for all.
About Schneider Electric
Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On. Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values. www.se.com
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