Colleges and Universities Seek to Reduce Costs While Managing Risks

Colleges and Universities are Asking More of Their Campus Energy Facilities…
These days, colleges and universities are asking more of their campus energy facilities: namely to support the institutions' educational missions at a low cost with high reliability. Meanwhile, reliability problems and commodity price swings (e.g. California) make the job of managing the risks inherent in energy supply more difficult.

…With Fewer Resources
In meeting their energy supply needs, college and university managers face a number of hurdles: such as competition for scarce capital and operating funds and increasing reliability and environmental requirements, with a limited appreciation from the greater campus community of the difficulties involved. And all this must be dealt with given limited management time and complicated labor relations.

Supplying Energy to Campuses is a Complex Undertaking
By itself, long-term energy supply planning is a complex undertaking, in part, because of the interrelationships between electricity, steam, and chilled water demand, fuel supply, and emissions. Because of the complexity of energy projects, decision making in the best of times becomes particularly difficult. Complicating these efforts today are the challenges of supplying energy during a period of price and reliability uncertainty.

We can help your institution plan for its long-term energy supply needs in this uncertain environment.