In the past two years, with the assistance of Lobo Energy, Inc., the students, staff and faculty of the University of New Mexico have reduced the institution's energy use by more than $7.5 million. As a result of this university-wide effort, UNM was awarded the "Chairman's Sustainability Award" from Energy Education, Inc.
"Every dollar we don't spend on energy is available to us to improve our facilities and add to our educational programs," said David J. Schmidly, UNM President. "The challenge is that saving significant energy dollars requires the consistent execution of hundreds of energy saving actions by hundreds of staff members and educators every minute of every day."
To measure the success of the university's energy education program, Lobo Energy's "Energy Educators" and UNM Physical Plant department technicians track UNM's electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil use.
The university's energy education program has been developed in tandem with Energy Education, Inc. and is run by Lobo Energy, Inc. The program is self-funded, not requiring UNM to spend additional money on its management. Energy Education, Inc. trained Lobo Energy's Energy Educators to help implement behavioral and building system adjustments that help reduce the university's overall energy use while fostering a sense of environmental stewardship.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix (505) 277-1816. e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu