News from Dormitory Authority of the State of New York

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Dormitory Authority Slashes Energy Budget

16.8 Percent reduction due to “5 Up/5 Down,” New humidifier and lighting plans

ALBANY, NY (04/16/2008; 1600)(readMedia)-- At a time when energy costs are spiking sharply upward, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) today announced that its innovative conservation programs will allow it to cut energy spending nearly 17 percent at its Albany headquarters building.

“We work in one of the most energy efficient buildings in Albany but we are constantly seeking new ways to reduce our energy use while maintaining a safe, comfortable and attractive work environment for our staff,” said Dormitory Authority Executive Director David D. Brown IV. “As we approach Earth Day, we pledge to further our quest to conserve. We can’t change the price we pay for energy, but we can certainly change how much we use.”

The Dormitory Authority’s budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year allocates $395,000 for electricity and natural gas use in its headquarters, a 16.8 percent reduction from the $475,000 budgeted for the previous year. The six-story, 10-year old office building at 515 Broadway is home to 371 of DASNY’s 594 staffers.

The Authority is able to cut its energy spending due to a number of conservation initiatives it has launched in the past year and will soon put in place, including:

-- “Five Up/ Five Down” In this innovative climate control measure, less energy is used to heat and cool the building as its temperature - - previously kept at 73 degrees year-round - - now dips to 68 degrees in winter and floats to 78 degrees in summer. To complement “Five Up/Five Down,” the Authority put in place a year-round business casual dress code that encourages employees to dress for the season - - warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

-- “Fogging Humidification” By late summer, the Authority will install a high-pressure mist humidification system that will use less than one percent of the energy used by the current steam humidification system, saving DASNY a projected $43,000 per year in energy costs. The system, estimated to cost less than $200,000, will pay for itself in less than five years.

-- “Lights Out” About 2 percent of lights in the building are kept on overnight and on weekends for safety purposes. Previously, some 20 percent of lights were kept on overnight and on weekends.

-- “One and Done Cleaning” The nighttime cleaning crew works as a team, moving through the building one floor at a time. This saves energy by eliminating the previous practice of cleaners working singly or in pairs scattered on multiple floors throughout the building which resulted in more lights being used.

The Dormitory Authority’s commitment to reducing its energy spending at a time of increasing costs was hailed in the environmental community.

Paul DeCotis, Deputy Secretary for Energy for Governor David Paterson, said: “The efforts of the Dormitory Authority have proven hugely successful. The actions taken by the Dormitory Authority, led by David Brown, have minimal costs and save New Yorkers tens of thousands of dollars in avoided energy spending. This type of innovation and creativity should be applauded and mimicked by all levels of government, businesses of all kinds, and households throughout the state.”

Robert Moore, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of New York, said: “Energy conservation is the easiest way to reduce the pollution that causes climate change and it doesn’t cost a cent - - it actually saves money. When the Dormitory Authority kicked off its “Five Up/Five Down” energy conservation plan last December, oil was trading at about $89 per barrel. Today, it’s at an all-time high of $114, a 28 percent increase in five months. While our energy costs continue to increase and the state budgets for leaner times, New York’s Dormitory Authority is setting a green example for state agencies by reducing its contribution to global warming and the size of its utility bills.”

“Saving a kilowatt costs a lot less than producing a kilowatt,” said Brown. “Curbing our energy use helps avoid the steep fiscal and environmental costs of building new power plants, reduces our carbon footprint, saves us money and helps Governor Paterson achieve his goal of reducing energy use in New York 15 percent by 2015.”

Besides initiatives specifically aimed at reducing its energy costs, the Dormitory Authority has undertaken a number of other environmentally related programs over the last year, including:

- - “All Green Only Green” In this major undertaking launched in January 2008 all new Dormitory Authority building projects - - billions of dollars in construction in the coming years - - will be designed and submitted with the goal of receiving a LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. This program will make the Dormitory Authority a national leader in the financing and construction management of green buildings.

-- “Green Initiatives Bonds” In 2007, the Dormitory Authority issued New York’s first series of Green Initiatives Bonds. The $20 million in proceeds from the sale of the bonds will be used to fund energy efficiency retrofits at three campuses of the state university system.

The Dormitory Authority’s headquarters building received an Energy Star rating of 75 from the federal Environmental Protection Agency for being more energy efficient than 75 percent of office buildings in the nation.

The Dormitory Authority, founded in 1944, is the largest higher education, healthcare and public-purpose bonding and construction authority in the nation. The Dormitory Authority has a construction pipeline of nearly 700 projects valued at $6 billion. The Authority has an outstanding bond portfolio of more than $35 billion.

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