Energy monitoring in big buildings doesn’t just save money and reduce emissions – it can also be educational. Just ask Colorado Mountain College.
As a member of Garfield Clean Energy, the college has access to an online service called Advanced Energy Management through CLEER, the nonprofit that runs GCE’s programs. Members also get free support in using the data to optimize building performance, and CMC contracts for additional services.
Over the recent winter break, CMC’s facilities team worked with CLEER staff and student interns to conduct a partial shutdown of energy-using systems in six buildings at the Spring Valley campus and in downtown Glenwood Springs. The team usually turns down thermostats and turns off lighting in unoccupied buildings during holidays, but this year’s shutdown plan was more intentional and disciplined.
This resulted in an impressive 11.5% reduction in energy use compared to the same period in 2023-24, according to AEM data. And it was despite a 17% increase in one of the Spring Valley buildings – a valuable finding in itself, since it enables facility managers to track down the problem and correct it.
Minimizing energy use over the holidays is just one tactic in the college’s long-term effort to reduce its emissions. “This occurred within the context of an institution that had already reduced its energy consumption by over 30% during the prior decade,” notes CMC assistant dean of instruction Adrian Fielder. “So this is not the proverbial low-hanging fruit – it took some effort and intention to reach these branches.”
“Best of all,” Fielder adds, “this data was collected and analyzed by local students at Roaring Fork High School [Gael Meraz and Sara Kokish] who are learning the technical side of energy monitoring and HVAC operation and maintenance.”
Besides reducing its energy consumption by 30%, CMC has shrunk its carbon footprint by 57% since 2014, according to Fielder. He cites technical support from CLEER and GCE as a major factor in that achievement.