Page 359 - Sustainable On-Site CHP Systems Design, Construction, and Operations

332 Ca s e S t u d y 1

Customer Relations and Service to the Community
• Princeton University Energy Plant is recognized as an industry leader and its
personnel actively promote best practices in energy.
• University courses in engineering, economics, and environmental policy
regularly include lectures from energy plant personnel and tours of the facility.
The plant and campus energy systems have been the subject of numerous
student studies and academic papers.
• The plant and its staff were recently featured in an hour-long NJN public
television documentary: “Green Builders” that “profiles a cast of green building
pioneers who have taken the leap into making their part of the ‘built environ-
ment’ a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly place.” It can
be watched online at http://www.njn.net/television/specials/greenbuilders/
showvod.html.
• Energy plant management and personnel are actively involved in professional
organizations including the International District Energy Association (IDEA),
the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE), the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), the LM-1600 Owners
Group, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the New
Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability. They regularly write
articles and present talks for these groups in an effort to promote best practices
related to efficiency, the environment, and sustainability.
• Plant personnel have supported IDEA by traveling to Washington, DC, to meet
with congressional and U.S. Department of Energy staff to discuss the merits of
district energy.
• Tours of the facility are often included in “best practices benchmarking”
activities by schools and companies such as: Columbia, Rutgers, Bristol Meyers
Squibb, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, University Medical & Dental
School of New Jersey, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the New Jersey
Pharmaceutical and Food Energy User Group, and Capitol Health.
• The plant Web site, originally created to provide thorough, consistent information
for operations personnel, has been expanded to include a public face with contact
information, history, and details about the plant as well as live campus energy
and weather data: http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/engineering_services/
energy/. Visitors see a new image every time they reload the page.

Recent Honors and Awards
Princeton energy plant and facilities engineering have been honored with the following:
• United States EPA CHP Partnership: Letter of Recognition, 2009
• U.S. EPA: CHP Energy Star Award, 2007
• New Jersey Smart Start Program: Over $400,000 in awards for implementation
of energy efficiency projects, various years