Facilities
PHOTOS © JIM STEINKAMP, STEINKAMP PHOTOGRAPHY
C AMPUS SPACES
It's Payback Time
You've invested in green technology for lots of reasons, one of which is a fnancial
payback. How long before you reap that beneft? And how long is too long?
BY AM Y MIL SHTEIN
B
EING ENERGY EFFICIENT
has a lot going for it. Students and
faculty appreciate the comfortable environments. Staff members enjoy
maintaining and servicing an intelligently
controlled building. And everyone can feel
good about contributing to a healthy, green
future. But at what cost? There is plenty of
whizz-bang technology that looks great…
until you crunch the numbers. Is a 20-year
return on investment too long to wait? Or is
the alternative too expensive?
"There has to be a hierarchy of needs,"
20
says Mike DeNamur, vice president,
marketing and sales, Automated Logic
Corporation. "Some schools are in 'food
and shelter' mode with lots of other
maintenance issues taking priority, while
others have made a focused commitment
to energy efficient projects." His colleague,
Bill Harris, general manager, Automated
Logic Corporation Massachusetts, agrees.
"So many public schools have an enormous
pool of deferred maintenance projects
backed up that they can't even think about
this," he says. "Others may be weighing
COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / FEBRUARY 2013
what kind of facility to build: something
with all of the latest green features or a fantastic new science building that will attract
top talent and grants."
The conundrum reveals itself further
when looking at the American College and
University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC, www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org). While there are around
4,000 institutions of higher learning in the
U.S., to date only 665 have signed on to this
commitment to become carbon neutral.
But the ACUPCC realizes the importance of
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