A dedicated 10 year-long effort to create healthier, more efficient buildings not only paid off financially for Northwest Florida State College but is earning industry recognition for setting an example for others to follow.
Northwest Florida State College has cut expected energy use by 61.9 percent since partnering with Cenergistic, the pioneer and leading provider of technology-enabled conservation services, which presented the NWFSC Board of Trustees its Cenergistic Best-In-Class Award on August 20, 2024.
The Best-In-Class Award lauds the organization’s success with the Cenergistic energy management program — a comprehensive science-based, technology-driven approach to energy conservation at all levels of the organization.
“Northwest Florida State College has created a stellar program,” said Dr. William S. Spears, CEO and Founder of Cenergistic. “Rising to the top in all the metrics — healthier, more efficient buildings; savings; and comfort, Northwest Florida State College is truly Best-in-Class. Leadership, faculty, and staff members are to be commended for their efforts.”
The program delivers financial savings as well as environmental benefits from a reduced carbon footprint. Energy not used prevents the emission of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. According to the EPA, Northwest Florida State College has reduced CO2 emissions equal to 168,031,457 miles not driven by the average vehicle for 10 years.
“In the 10 years since beginning the program, Northwest Florida State College has benefitted from the savings, but even more importantly, today we have healthier, more efficient buildings — the best learning environment we can provide for our community, and that’s always our goal,” said Dr. Tanner McKnight, CFO and Vice President for Operations and Finance.
Northwest Florida State College’s comprehensive energy conservation program addresses energy use throughout the organization. The energy specialist track energy consumption at all campuses through state-of-the-art technology to identify and correct areas where energy is over-used. They also work closely with organization personnel as well as Cenergistic engineers and experts to continually optimize systems and schedules. Together they monitor energy use with advanced technology and shape energy-using practices through education — affecting how each person in the organization understands, uses and saves energy for years to come. The outcome is healthier, more efficient buildings using less energy — and lower related costs.
