Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech announced on Oct. 15 that it would be a partner in a program aiming to reduce energy use in the greater Washington area.

Working with Hannon Armstrong, the investor who has pledged $500 million to the program, and Pepco, who will be the engineering force behind the project, Tech will act as a facilitator by overseeing and planning the project.

Tech's role in the program will be to promote the university in the greater Washington area, and also provide opportunities for Tech professionals and students to participate in planning and research.

"Principally, we believe we could bring to that partnership a strong research and educational component," said Jim Bohland, the Virginia Tech vice president and executive director of the National Capital Region Organizations. "Our primary role is educational programming, research and outreach."

The "Energy Efficiency Partnership of Greater Washington" will use the $500 million to retrofit buildings that currently have inefficient energy sources over the course of the five years.

Renovations will take place on a small scale, with improvements such as replacing old light bulbs and air conditioning with newer, more efficient systems.

John Chermak, a geosciences professor, realizes the importance of buildings constructed with energy efficient systems.

"I think there's a greater awareness than there used to be. Part of the problem is the demand for energy continues to increase," Chermak said. "I think anybody can evaluate how efficiently they are using energy."

The program is constructed so that engineers from Pepco will conduct audits that will inform buildings where they can utilize energy more efficiently. The money invested by Hannon Armstrong will then give the building owners an opportunity to use money they normally would not want to invest to retrofit and renovate. Owners will then begin to repay Hannon Armstrong with the savings from their energy bills.

"From a social standpoint, it's a environmentally helpful thing to do, but from an investment standpoint, it is also good," said Jeffrey Eckel, president and CEO of Hannon Armstrong.

Eckel said they expect to break even after the first five years, and for it to turn into a profit in the years following the program initiatives. Hannon Armstrong, an investment bank that often works primarily with federal programs, regularly invests in programs dealing with the environment.

"Almost all our work is with environmentally supportive policies," Eckel said. "We've worked with Pepco for the last 10 years, and they are great engineers. This was also a great opportunity to work with Virginia Tech."

In addition to educational and research opportunities, Tech also plans to additionally make money through arrangements made with the partners and external foundation funding for which they have applied. Bohland said they have received a lot of positive responses regarding funding requests.

Planning and programming have already begun for several buildings, but Bohland speculates the program will not be full speed ahead for a few moths. The Reston International Center, and two buildings in L'Enfant Plaza, situated in the heart of Washington, D.C., will be the first of over 100 buildings this program intends to help reduce energy use.

While Tech works to help the Washington area go green, Chermak outlined many ways Tech students can help Blacksburg reduce our energy demand. Sixty percent of energy in households is used in heating and cooling; therefore turning down the thermostat a few degrees this winter could go a long way.

Switching to more efficient light bulbs, taking shorter showers, and even washing laundry in cold instead of hot water are all small and manageable steps members of the Tech community are encouraged to take.