As part of an ongoing response to high electricity prices and outages in California during the summer of 2000, the California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved more than $6 million in funding to encourage energy efficiency in the state’s public university and prison buildings. The grants are part of $50 million given by the California legislature in an effort to save 50 megawatts from government and university structures to help prevent the same problem in summer 2001.
The university funds will go toward lighting improvements and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades, while the prison funds will focus on heat pumps and energy management technologies such as peak load verification meters.
The CEC also approved $8 million in contracts to help reduce electricity use in commercial buildings and homes, mostly by encouraging the use of reflective coating materials or other means to reduce solar heat absorbed by roof surfaces and ducts. Such “cool roofs” reduce building cooling needs while also helping reduce the urban “heat island” effect caused by energy-absorbent roofs and pavement and the lack of trees and bushes.
Based on a report from the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN)
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