Towson University Earns National Recognition for Green Practices

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) recently teamed up with Towson University to help the school become more energy efficient, saving the college more than $1 million annually in energy costs, according to a statement from BGE.

Recently, officials with the U.S. Department of Energy visited the campus to recognize it for being a leader in environmental innovation.

Towson University is the first higher education institution in Maryland to join the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, which President Barack Obama launched in 2011 to encourage saving energy.

Towson University committed to increase the energy efficiency of 3.4 million square feet in nearly 50 campus buildings, according to the statement from BGE.

West Village Commons is a model for other schools around the country, BGE said. 

It has special features like an enhanced thermal envelope, green roof and high-efficiency refrigeration systems that make the building 25 percent more energy-efficient than a comparable code-compliant facility, BGE reported. It also has eco-screens so students can compare the building’s energy consumption against others on campus in real time.

Towson University also made the following investments throughout the campus:

• Replaced/updated nearly 35,000 light fixtures
• Equipped 38 buildings with 10,000 occupancy sensors
• Created 18 electric vehicle charging stations on campus

Over the life of newly installed energy efficient equipment, Towson will save enough energy to power nearly 6,000 homes, or 15 percent of the homes in Towson, for an entire year, according to BGE.

“It’s not just the energy savings that are important,” Calvin G. Butler Jr., chief executive officer for BGE, said. “These efforts will create improved learning environments with better air quality, temperature control and lighting quality, for students and teachers. It also sets an example for students to think about ways they can be more energy efficient. This puts Towson into a category of its own when it comes to sustainability, and their commitment to the environment.”

BGE presented Towson University with $1.7 million in energy incentives to help fund its energy-efficient upgrades and improvement projects. The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program provides incentives for renters, homeowners, businesses and institutions to make energy-efficient choices.

"Our participation in the Better Buildings Challenge and BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program are already helping to improve energy efficiency on campus," Towson University President Maravene Loeschke said. "We are proud to be at the forefront of initiatives that will positively impact our environment..."

Towson University is a regional leader in sustainability, consistently listed in Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges and committed to the use of renewable resources as well as the application of green building standards, according to a prepared statement.

Said Dr. Kathleen Hogan, deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency for the U.S. Department of Energy: "We look forward to highlighting Towson's leadership and accomplishments in the years to come."