Northwest Florida State College Slashes Energy Use by Two-Thirds, Earns Chairman’s Sustainability Award
November 30, 2020
Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) received the Chairman’s Sustainability Award from Cenergistic, a national conservation company at November’s Board of Trustees meeting. The Chairman’s Sustainability Award honors clients who have reached noteworthy savings from a long-term energy partnership. The program’s impact on organizational practices has shaped NWF State College into a national sustainability leader among community and state colleges.
In 2013, NWFSC partnered with Cenergistic to implement a campus-wide sustainability program. The program primarily focused on human-factors in energy consumption, but also installed motion sensor technology, central temperature controls, etc. Due to this program, and thanks to the outstanding support and cooperation of our faculty and staff, the College has benefited from a 67% reduction in energy consumption, resulting in a savings of over $6 million in energy costs through 2020.
“We are very proud of the energy savings that our College has achieved in such a short time,” said NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson. “Our innovative approach to environmental stewardship serves as a model for fellow educational institutions.”
NWFSC personnel work closely with Cenergistic engineers, experts and Energy Specialists to audit and optimize energy-using systems across the organization to achieve peak efficiency and maintain buildings. The Energy Specialists track energy consumption at all campuses with state-of-the-art technology to identify waste and protect occupants.
“Northwest Florida State College’s commitment to energy sustainability has paid off for not just the environment, but the college itself has saved over $6 million through our partnership,” said Steve Jones, Regional Vice President at Cenergistic. “Savings at this level are almost unfathomable.”
In response to COVID-related shutdowns, the Cenergistic Energy Specialists gave special attention toward optimizing ventilation, improving air quality and supporting facilities operations to ensure students could return to classes in healthier, more efficient buildings.
Photo Caption: Pictured (left to right): NWFSC BOT Attorney Hayward Dykes, NWFSC Trustee Maj Gen Rudy Wright, NWFSC Trustee Craig Barker, NWFSC BOT Vice Chair Lori Kelley, NWFSC BOT Chair Brian Pennington, Cenergistic Senior Technical Consultant Dan Fife, NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson, NWFSC Trustee Shane Abbott, NWFSC Trustee Charlotte Flynt and NWFSC Trustee Maj Gen Don Litke
About Cenergistic
Since 1986 Cenergistic has partnered with 1470+ educational, municipal government and healthcare organizations to achieve $5.8 billion in utility savings and cost avoidance. These strong results come from the application of Cenergistic’s organizational behavior-based strategies and are enhanced by our proprietary software platform to drive building and equipment optimization. Our energy conservation program reduces utility consumption by an average of 25% with no capital investment while maintaining or improving the comfort and quality of building environments. For more than a decade, Cenergistic has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year or Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence. To learn more, visit www.cenergistic.com.