28
October
2010
|
15:00 PM
America/Los_Angeles

CSUSM Employee Honored for Leadership in Sustainability Projects

CSUSM Employee Honored for Leadership in Sustainability ProjectsHonored for Being Green at CSUSM - Floyd Dudley II, the assistant director of Energy and Engineering Services at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), was recently awarded the international honor of Young Energy Professional of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers for his role in reducing the University's energy consumption.Sustaining the Future - Heading up a variety of initiatives to improve sustainability at CSUSM, Dudley led the ESCO (Energy Savings Company) project. The project accomplished several goals, including the decrease of energy consumption, reduction of annual energy costs, and the upgrade of existing infrastructure, which keenly positions the campus for its future growth. In just one year as a result of these changes, CSUSM saved more than $1 million in utility costs.Growth Heats Things Up - Two key equipment upgrades in the project involved expanding the energy capacity and efficiency of the University's Central Plant by installing new chiller and boiler systems. The new equipment maintains the existing footprint needs of the campus and will now be able to meet the additional energy demands as the campus grows, which including CSUSM's newest 106,500 square foot Social and Behavioral Sciences Building opening in 2011.Predicting Conservation - Among the University's recently implemented water conservation projects, powerful Calsense irrigation controllers were installed throughout the 304-acre campus. This new system can not only forecast weather conditions to reduce or eliminate sprinkler cycles based on the environmental changes, it can also detect underground leaks, remotely change water flow, and run diagnostic reports to ensure its optimum efficiency.Code Blue Goes Green - Sixty emergency code blue stations were retrofitted by Dudley's team of electricians with new 5-watt blue LED lights, replacing the station's original 70-watt high pressure sodium bulbs. In addition to an overall consumption reduction of 38,000 kWh per year, the new LED lights shine brighter, are more visible, and have a longer life span that require less maintenance.The Science of Reduction - The largest energy consumers on campus, CSUSM's two applied sciences buildings require significant power to maintain proper ventilation of its laboratories. Ensuring quality ventilation while avoiding wasted energy exerted during unoccupied times, such as in the late evening, aircuity automation systems were programmed to adjust the rate of air-flow based on building occupancy, saving the campus nearly $70,000 annually.Evaluating Efficiency - From replacing all interior and exterior lighting to projects that optimize building operations, Dudley and his team are continually evaluating the energy efficiency of the campus. Recently as a result of that analysis, the utility systems of three CSUSM buildings, Craven Hall, University Hall, and Kellogg Library (seen in the photo),  were retro-commissioned, resulting in the usage reductions of electricity by 30 percent, hot water heating by 53 percent, and chilled water by 11 percent.The Next Direction - Pointing to the future site of the planned fuel cell project, Dudley and his team continue to explore additional improvements to further diversify the University's energy portfolio. By installing a fuel cell, the campus will be able to secure energy pricing rates without being subjected to fluctuations in the markets. Beyond the cost-saving measures, a fuel cell will reduce emissions, increase energy supply reliability, and lower CSUSM's greenhouse gas footprint.A Go-Green Attitude - Photographed outside the Central Plant with his mentor, CSUSM Director of Facility Services Ed Johnson, Dudley credits his team and the University community for the campus's go-green attitude. "It's a team effort," he explained. "Our entire campus shares this vision of sustainability. We're not only reducing our carbon footprint by lowering energy consumption, we're also saving money that can instead be reinvested in the future growth of Cal State San Marcos."