Wartburg College hired Schneider Electric, an energy consulting firm, to implement a $2.4 million energy efficiency project through utility improvements. One-third of the estimated cost of the project was funded by a grant from the state Office of Energy Independence through a U.S. Department of Energy program. Overall, the project is projected to save $270,000 annually in utility costs.

Water improvements

• 64 toilets in the residential bathrooms and 38 toilets in academic buildings were replaced with 1.28 gpf toilets.
• 24 toilets in Afton Manor had their flush valves retrofit to 2.7 gpf.
• 12 urinals in academic building had valves retrofit to low-flow specifications.
• 307 sink faucets in residential buildings and 198 sink faucets in academic buildings have been replaced.
• 175 showers in residential shower rooms have ben retrofit with 1.25 gpm massage type, non-tamper resistant showerheads.
• Showers in Wartburg-Wellness Center have been retrofit with 1.5 gpm showerheads.
• A flow control system has been installed on the Pot Wash garbage disposer in the Main Kitchen.
• These upgrades are expected to save around 6,500 gallons of water annually.

Gas efficiency

• New motorized isolation valves have been added to the Science Center. The boiler’s new motorized isolation valves reduce the required pump horsepower, the amount of hot water flow (gpm), and thus will reduce the amount of natural gas that the boilers use, by reducing the number of boilers in operation.
• A new heat recovery chiller has been installed in the W. Heat recovery chillers preheat water with heat produced by cooling the cold water line.
• The boiler in Luther Hall and Neumann Auditorium was replaced. The new boiler has an energy efficiency of 93%, as opposed to the current boiler which has an energy efficiency of about 65%.

An estimated170,000 therms or 17,000 MMBTU’s are anticipated to be saved from these improvements.

Electrical efficiency

• Motion sensors for lighting were installed into each building timed to shut off after 10 minutes of inactivity.
• In addition, about 4000 light fixtures have been retrofitted or replaced with more efficient fluorescent lighting
• New energy management systems were installed to insure heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are operated efficiently, yet provide comfort conditions in areas when occupied. During unoccupied hours, the systems will monitor their assigned areas to determine how to efficiently run heating, air conditioning, and ventilation.
• Maintenance staff installed photosensitive lighting, or lighting that recognizes if it needs to be on or not by the amount of light that is already present in a space.

These improvements are estimated to save 1,600,000 kWh of electricity and 1,900 kW of power.