Fairfield University amps up energy savings

October 22, 2007

By Joihn Burgeson

"The Earth will be saved 10,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually because of a new combined heat and power plant dedicated Monday at Fairfield University."

Fairfield - The Earth will be saved 10,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually because of a new combined heat and power plant dedicated today at Fairfield University.

The new $9.2 million plant generates 4.6 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to supply all of the university's power requirements on all but the hottest summer days, according to Bill Romatzick, the school's controls supervisor.

"It also heats the buildings on campus by taking the waste heat from the exhaust and using that to heat water for the hot-water heating system," he said. "And, it recalculates the exhaust gases and burns them a second time for cleaner emissions.'

On hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, and federal Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. "President (the Rev. Jeffrey) von Arx has had me on campus for a number of events, but he never had me in a place like this," Shays quipped in reference to the utilitarian cement-block structure that houses the new gas-fired power plant. "This represents a huge contribution - it's powered by clean natural gas and it takes over four megawatts of coal-fired electricity off the grid."

Shays said the new equipment, in effect, generates sufficient electricity to supply 4,000 households, and will reduce significantly the school's $1.8 million annual bill from United Illuminating.

School officials said the plant will reduce sulfur oxide emissions by 96 percent and smog-causing nitrogen oxides by 17 percent.

Located in a house-size structure, the combined heat and power plant is one of only 40 that have been installed on college campuses nationwide. "It's a good idea for hospitals, colleges and mixed-use condominiums," said Kelly A. Romano, president of Carrier's building systems and services group, the supplier of the new plant.

Bodman took the opportunity to urge homeowners to switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. "If every household installed just one compact fluorescent, it would be sufficient to save the same amount of energy as used by 3 million households," he said. "Now in the final analysis, that's really not all that much, but small, individual efforts can add up to change in a big way."

Romatzick said the plant, which had its first test runs last week, will be up to full capacity in the next few days.

Reprinted with permission from the Connecticut Post