12/3/2007

Energy Award received

The award was the highest award ever given by San Diego Gas & Electric, and was apart of SDG&E’s Savings By Design Program which awards buildings that are exceptionally energy efficient.

The High Technology Building employs natural lighting, extra insulation, a computer-controlled heating and cooling system, and light-switch controls controlled by occupancy sensors. These green features have helped earn the community college cash incentives from San Diego Gas & Electric Company through the statewide Savings By Design program. Efficiency measures designed into the $32 million, 107,000-sq.-ft. science building will save the district about $275,000 annually in energy costs compared with a conventional building. That equates to a savings of about 1.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, or enough to power about 200 medium-sized homes annually. “When you look at the cost of energy — for electricity, gas, water and sewage — it continues to rise,” said Mike Ellis, the Director of Facilities at Palomar College. “The more we can control the costs in the design phase, the cheaper we can operate these buildings forever.”