The University of Southern Maine has received a $135,000 grant from Efficiency Maine that will go towards renovations to increase energy efficiency on the Gorham campus. The grant will supplement $200,000 of USM funds in order to make improvements to lighting fixtures in Gorham.
According to a university press release Tuesday, renovations to overhead lighting fixtures in the Costello Sports Complex’s Field House, Hill Gymnasium and Ice Arena and to road and parking lot fixtures will save the University of Southern Maine 676,000 kilowatt-hours per year, reducing its annual utility bill by more than $70,000. According to the press release, the savings from more efficient lighting will pay back the initial investment in just over two and a half years.
The parking lot and roadway lighting fixtures will be retrofitted with LED lights and more efficient and higher-quality lighting fixtures will replace the present ones in the sports complex.
“This grant provides a great opportunity for us to continue to improve our stewardship of University and public resources,” said USM Executive Director of Facilities Management Bob Bertram in the press release. “The athletic facilities, and the Field House in particular, have great potential to save energy costs because they are so heavily used by the University, high schools and other community groups.”
Construction on the sports complex is scheduled to start the week of Feb. 20, during winter break. Renovations on the roadway and parking lot light fixtures are scheduled to begin later in the spring.
Run by a nine-person board of directors called the Efficiency Maine Trust, Efficiency Maine is responsible for administering all non-transportation related energy efficiency programs for the State of Maine. The University of Southern Maine was one of a number of businesses to receive similar grants from Efficiency Maine.
“This lighting project is a great example of an energy efficiency project with a quick return on investment, and one that will realize savings year after year,” said Efficiency Maine Communications Director Paul Badeau in the university press release. “Furthermore, compared to conventional industrial lighting, LED lights reduce maintenance and replacement costs, and tend to be brighter as well. We’re delighted that we were able to assist USM in making their campus brighter and more attractive, while positively impacting their bottom line.”
The renovations on the Gorham campus are just the latest in a series of projects designed to increase energy efficiency at USM. Last January the University of Maine System awarded USM $2.3 million to renovate buildings on the Portland campus for greater energy efficiency. And around the same time the central heating plant on the Portland campus made the switch from burning oil to natural gas, a change which was estimated to save $315,000 a year and reduce its carbon output by roughly 1,048 metric tons per year, according to a university statement released at the time.