DOE Recognizes Allegheny College For Energy Savings As A Better Buildings Challenge Partner

The U.S. Department of Energy recently recognized Allegheny College in Crawford County for achieving its energy savings goal as a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge. 

Allegheny College was one of only four higher education institutions recognized as Better Buildings Challenge 2023 Goal Achievers and among only 21 higher education institutions that have committed to the challenge. 

Better Buildings is a DOE initiative designed to drive leadership in energy innovation. Goal achievers are leaders in energy efficiency and stand as examples for their peers. 

Allegheny College was recognized for achieving energy savings of 22 percent in 10 years by making greater efficiency accomplishments across its building portfolio. 

Allegheny College embraced the Better Buildings challenge as an opportunity to save energy and improve efficiency across its 1.3 million-square-foot building portfolio. 

A number of initiatives contributed to reaching the goal, including strategies that involved students, faculty, and staff--

-- Energy efficiency retrofits including boilers, chillers, lighting, and water fixtures 

-- Behavior changes like Building Automation System scheduling and management, an annual student Energy Challenge, strategically optimizing density of usage in buildings

-- Construction and renovation standards for efficiency, geo-exchange heating and cooling,and controls

-- Integration of sustainability processes and standards into everything from campus policies to job descriptions

-- Completion of an annual greenhouse gas inventory 

-- Adoption of a Climate Action Plan (2009) with the ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2020 which was achieved

A nationally recognized leader in sustainability, and carbon neutral since 2020, Allegheny was selected in 2021 to host the “5th World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities”. 

The College’s top ranked environmental science and sustainability major engages students in interdisciplinary research and ignites their passions for making the world more equitable, just and sustainable. 

For over 20 years, Allegheny College has held sustainability as a core value. In 2002, Allegheny adopted its Environmental Guiding Principles and was a charter signatory with the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. 

And, in 2020, Second Nature recognized the College as a Carbon Neutral Institution, the eighth higher education institution in the United States to do so. 

Click Here for the complete announcement.

Visit Allegheny College’s Sustainability webpage to learn more.

(Photo: Allegheny College Richard J. Cook Center housing the Department of Environmental Science.)

[Posted: November 6, 2023]  PA Environment Digest