Props for energy efficiency

Chico State took home the 2010 Best Practice Award for the Energy Efficiency Partnership Program with the California State University system in July during the annual California Higher Education Sustainability Conference at CSU, Long Beach.

The award recognizes improvements to the Student Services Center, a silver-level LEED-certified facility. (Chico State won the same award for Yolo Hall in 2009.)

Cogent Energy, an energy company hired by the Chancellor’s Office, made recommendations to improve the efficiency of the air-handling systems in buildings on campus. The changes included an adjustment to the programming and control of fans, steps that cut the energy needed to run them in half.

Chico State employees Neil Nunn, chief engineer/energy manager, and Dan Hayden, facilities control specialist, were in charge of the project. The improvements cut down significantly on energy costs and were considered the best in both the University of California and CSU systems.