Eversource and Wesleyan University Announce New Energy Efficiency Partnership

Representatives from Wesleyan University and Eversource have announced a new energy-efficiency partnership that will reduce energy costs and enhance the university's overall sustainability efforts.

The new strategic partnership supports a three-year energy-efficiency plan that will save an additional 3.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and includes energy saving upgrades in the Spurrier-Snyder Rink and Exley Science Center Data Center.

"With this partnership, Wesleyan University is reaffirming its commitment to energy efficiency," said Eversource Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Morton. "We look forward to helping Wesleyan better manage their energy, as they integrate new technologies and measures into buildings that will deliver year-after-year energy and cost savings, and build a better, more sustainable campus."

"The work and our partnership with Eversource is vitally important to helping us reduce our impact on the environment and keep operating costs down," said Wesleyan President Michael Roth. "It is also in line with our mission to think critically and act creatively to solve challenges. I'm proud of the progress we've made and look forward to the future."

The new partnership takes a deeper, cost-effective approach to energy management on the Wesleyan University campus. Eversource estimates the energy efficiency work completed since 2014 across the campus has saved the school almost four million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reduced energy costs by approximately $480,000 a year, and resulted in annual carbon reductions of nearly 262 tons - the equivalent of taking nearly 60 cars off the road for a year. 

Following the partnership announcement, Wesleyan University and Eversource representatives hosted a tour of recently completed energy-efficiency upgrades throughout the Freeman Athletic Center. Guests included Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Robert Klee, and City of Middletown Councilman Gerald Daley.  

The athletic center upgrades include newly installed energy-efficient LED lighting systems that reduce maintenance costs and also provide a better environment with minimal glare, helping players and spectators follow action on the ice, in the pool or on the court. The systems use up to 75 percent less electricity and feature dimming and remote-control capabilities, as well as smart, motion-detecting controls that can be scheduled to turn off lights when no one is present, sharply reducing electricity usage throughout the 259,104 square foot facility.

The Wesleyan University and Eversource plan supports the university's clean energy goals along with Wesleyan's Climate Action Plan and goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The event wraps up Campus Sustainability Month, an international celebration of sustainability in higher education.

Wesleyan University | www.wesleyan.edu

Eversource | www.eversource.com