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Cornell University

Facilities and
Campus Services

Energy Conservation Overview

Dramatic and lasting conservation results are achieved by continuously optimizing our building automation and control systems, heat recovery systems, and lighting systems.  Conservation focused preventive maintenance on these systems reduces usage and maintains performance.  Conservation studies and capital improvement projects add the latest features that can be cost effectively retrofitted to existing systems.  New construction and renovation on campus are guided by mandated features, energy usage intensity goals, and life cycle cost benefit analysis.

As full-time staff, a Certified Energy Manager and a Senior Engineer/Director of Utilities Distribution and Energy Management oversee the university energy management program for the central plants (supply side) and the buildings (demand side).

Present efforts
  • Energy Conservation Initiative
  • Conservation focused preventive maintenance
  • Energy studies
  • Building systems conservation projects - lighting and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, weatherization, insulation
  • Demand controlled ventilation/occupancy sensor based control strategies
  • Adaptive fume hoods
  • User friendly environmental controls
  • Green office equipment and computing
  • High efficiency humidification and controls
  • Growth chamber lighting and controls retrofits
  • Wireless occupied space controls
  • Heat recovery retrofits
Future efforts
  • Advanced Glazing
New construction and major renovation features
  • Dedicated outdoor air with heat recovery
  • Sensible heating and cooling systems - chilled beams, radiant floors
  • Demand controlled ventilation/occupancy sensor based control strategies
  • Adaptive fume hoods
  • Adaptive reset on building air and water systems
  • High efficiency lighting and lighting controls
  • Heat recovery
  • Hybrid growth chambers - refrigeration and campus heating/cooling
  • High efficiency humidification and controls