Energy

Electricity, natural gas, and other sources of energy are expensive commodities, and generating and using them can cause significant environmental damage. It is therefore important for both environmental and economic reasons to meet energy demands as efficiently as possible.

Since the construction of the Cardinal Cogen power plant in the late 1980's, the university has created most of its energy on site through the co-generation of electricity and steam from natural gas fuel. This highly efficient process is complemented by aggressive conservation. Stanford's Energy Retrofit Program (ERP) projects during this last decade are estimated to save 158 million kWh of electricity - enough power to serve 22,000 California homes for one year. The Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP) is a unique "cash for kilowatt hours" program that is providing Schools an incentive to reduce electricity use. Together, ERP and ECIP resulted in Stanford's receipt of a Statewide "Flex Your Power" award in 2005. Since then, Stanford has launched a $15 million capital program to fund major energy efficiency improvement projects in large laboratory buildings. When fully implemented, these projects are expected to save $4.2 million dollars per year in energy costs and reduce total energy use in the targeted buildings by 28 percent. For more information about these programs, Stanford's renewable energy projects, and energy-saving ideas go to http://facilities.stanford.edu/conservation/