Green to Gold Fund Projects
Solar Car Canopy Array
$90,000 | Farley Hunter, Associate Director of Utilities | 2021
In combination with a Sustainability Green Fee grant of $85,000, a total of $175,000 has been provided to match Virginia Department of Energy funds to install a car canopy solar array in the Admissons Parking Lot. This location will create a visible connection for visitors to the off-site solar farm that produces 50% of the university's electricity.
Facilities Management will pay back the $90,000 loan over 4 years via operational funds, demonstrating the university's commitment towards its sustainability and climate goals.
Swem Library 2nd and 3rd Floor Lighting Upgrade
$140,000 | Farley Hunter, Associate Director of Utilities | 2020
In response to the successful implementation of Swem Library’s 1st Floor Lighting Upgrade, $140,000 was awarded to upgrade Swem Library’s 2nd and 3rd Floor florescent lamps with LED.
With a payback period of 4.3 years, the lighting upgrades are expected to save $64,000 annually and reduce energy consumption by 304,000 kWh per year.
Swem Library 1st Floor Lighting Upgrade
$75,000 | Farley Hunter, Associate Director of Utilities | 2018
Swem Library’s size and extended hours of operation made for a favorable payback and project funding request of $75,000 was awarded. Thomas Griffiths, Class of 2018, and a member of the Carbon Off Set Group, worked with Farley Hunter, to suggest and support this project. Gregg Shipp, Director of Operations was the project champion.
Replacing existing florescent lamps, along with the associated ballast has three main benefits: 1) a 152,000 kwh/yr energy reduction 2) $32,000/yr in combined energy and maintenance cost savings 3) a payback of 2.3 years.
McCormack Nagelsen Tennis Center Indirect Fixture Upgrade to LED
$100,000 | Michael Caboy, Director of McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center | 2018
The existing metal halide lamps of the Tennis Center consume 613,000 kWh/year and require $12,000 in lamp/ballast replacement annually. Replacing existing fixtures with LED on a one-for-one basis provides the opportunity to increase the existing 80 foot candles light level at the playing surface to 100+ foot candles thereby supporting filming. Electrical usage will drop by 68%. More aggressive light control will be possible as the current metal halide fixtures require a “strike time” which adds to the overall hours of operation. The new LED lights are instant on and eliminate service given the expected long life of the fixtures. They will be backed by a 10 year warranty. This project is anticipated to reduce energy consumption by 414,500 kWh annually, equivalent to 177 metric tons of CO2, save $49,210 a year, and payback in 4 years.
Lighting Retrofit of the W&M Parking Garage
$78,500 | Bill Horacio, Director of Parking Services & Transportation | 2016
Currently, the garage is lit by metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights. When they burn out after two or three years, they scorch the fixtures, meaning the entire assembly has to be replaced at a cost of about $200 each. And the halides are inefficient; only about 24 percent of the energy used goes toward lighting. The rest is lost as heat.
By retrofitting with LED lights, William & Mary will cut energy use for parking deck lighting by more than 70 percent while providing 33 percent more light in a bulb that lasts 10 to 12 years and doesn’t scorch the fixtures when it dies. The $78,500 project also calls for dropping the lights out of the recessed areas and painting the ceilings white for an overall brighter and safer parking garage.
Based on the estimated savings, parking services should pay back the Green to Gold Fund within three years. Without the loan, parking services would have had to raise the price of parking decals and passes.
