Blue Mountain Community College has saved 373,813 kilowatt hours (kWh) over the past two years through its participation in the Energy Trust of Oregon’s Strategic Energy Management program.
The energy savings amounted to incentive earnings from the Energy Trust of $13,559.06 over the two years, which was funneled back into the college’s maintenance accounts. BMCC recently received its certificate of completion of the 2019 program year from the Energy Trust. Strategic Energy Management (SEM) is a yearlong training provided at no cost by Energy Trust to organizations that want to improve energy efficiency.
Working with professional energy coaches, participants learn to identify energy waste in their facilities and operations, and use management tools, practices and policies to keep their energy usage and costs as low as possible.
BMCC was one of eastern Oregon’s first organizations to join the program in 2018, and staff from the college’s maintenance and facilities crew and other staff on campus participated in numerous trainings. These SEM program staff have then shared what they’ve learned with others on campus in an effort to make energy conservation a college-wide effort.
The incentive earnings allowed the facilities department to purchase a Kubota tractor this past year.
“When our staff hear about the incentive checks and then get to see the impact of their efforts when we get to purchase something like the tractor, they realize just how much of an impact they’re making around campus,” said Dwayne Williams, BMCC’s director of facilities. “In a time when budgets are so tight, these energy saving efforts make a real difference to the college.”
