Energy Efficiency

In 2017, the Student Green Initiatives Fund approved funding to convert the outdoor lighting throughout the old campus quad to energy-efficient LED fixtures. This project is set to be completed during Fall 2017 semester and will significantly reduce BGSU's energy consumption.  

In 2016, the lighting for Andrews & Cooper pools were upgraded to energy-efficient LED fixtures with funding assistance from the Student Green Initiatives Fund. The completion of this project has reduced BGSU's electricity consumption by 143,761 kWh and is saving $12,000 annually.

In 2014, the majority of lighting in the Slater Family Ice Arena was converted to energy-efficient LED fixtures with funding assistance from the Student Green Initiatives Fund. The completion of this project has reduced BGSU's electricity consumption by 95,301 kWh annually and has saved more than $92,000 in electricity costs since installation.

In 2013, the lighting inside the Perry Field House was upgraded to energy-efficient LED fixtures with funding assistance from the Student Green Initiatives Fund. The completion of this project has resulted in higher visibility within the facility, reduced BGSU's electricity consumption by 156,674 kWh annually, and has saved over $200,000 in electricity costs since installation.

In 2013, LED lighting was installed in the parking lot of Campus Operations as a pilot project. Since installation, BGSU has reduced its electricity consumption by 15,651 kWh each year and has saved over $20,000 in electricity costs.

When the Michael & Sara Kuhlin Center was renovated, it was done with sustainability in mind. Striving to be at least LEED Silver certified, this building features a wide variety of sustainability features. A major energy-efficiency feature is the new, cutting-edge air conditioning system. The Daikin VRV system, which uses variable refrigerant flow control to provide occupants with the ability to maintain individual zone control in each room and floor of a building, increases overall energy savings for the facility!

In 2016, the Centrex building was renovated to become a centralized chiller plant for most of west campus. This project will provide chilled water used to cool most of the buildings in the surrounding area, including Hanna, Moseley, South, McFall, Williams, Founders, and Shatzel Hall. This new chiller will replace individual units on buildings, providing much greater energy-efficiency, comfort, and ultimately saving 1,780,000 kWH each year.

BGSU meets its heating needs through the combustion of natural gas to create steam which is then piped across campus. In 2014, the Heat Plant received multiple upgrades to its motors to make its operations more energy-efficient. Since installing newer equipment, BGSU has reduced its energy consumption by 739,862 kWh annually and has saved a total of $900,000 in electricity costs.

Having a centralized chiller facility for the east end of campus reduces maintenance and is much more energy-efficient than individual towers/ chiller units on each building. This chiller plant provides cooling for the Wolfe Center for the Arts, Fine Arts Building, Moore Musical Arts Center, and the Health & Human Services Building. It also won multiple awards for its architectural design.

In order to reduce the amount of energy consumed, BGSU makes sure that computers are set to "Sleep Mode" for when they are not in use. This simple step drops the amount of energy consumed by a desktop to between 2-5 watts, while reducing the amount of heat emitted from the device (which results in more energy to be used air conditioning!).

Why keep an unoccupied space lit? In order to save energy and money, BGSU is installing motion sensors in spaces across campus for maximum energy conservation! Motion sensors detect movement in a space and turn lights on/off automatically.

BGSU has a lot of space across campus! It takes a lot of energy to operate buildings - from heating/ cooling to electricity. To reduce the amount of energy consumed, BGSU is beginning the process of maximizing the use of its buildings through intentional scheduling of spaces.

This student-led initiative gathers every Friday evening at 6:30 pm in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union to turn off classroom lights across campus that would otherwise stay on all weekend! Program Details

As a result of a Student Green Initiatives Fund proposal, BGSU now collects recycling across campus using a diesel-electric hybrid truck! This truck, a Hino 170h, creates significantly less tailpipe emissions and uses less fuel than a conventional engine.

As a result of a grant from Clean Fuels Ohio and additional funding from the Student Green Initiatives Fund, BGSU hosts 3 electric vehicle charging stations across campus. These charging stations are laying the groundwork for a transition to electric vehicles and providing individuals with an incentive to do so. Station Locations

When purchasing and leasing new service vehicles, BGSU gives preference to fuel-efficient models to reduce the amount of tailpipe emissions and fuel consumed .