1/21/2019 - Jackson, Miss.

Mississippi Public Universities have made great strides in energy efficiency efforts over the past decade. Many of the advancements made have been accelerated through partnerships with other universities, energy utilities and the cities where the campuses are located.

Mississippi State University has been actively involved with the IHL Energy Council and has networked with other universities in terms of information sharing. Via quarterly meetings and conference calls with representatives from the other institutions across the system, MSU and the other seven public universities have discussed numerous strategies for saving energy and saving money.

In terms of community partners, MSU regularly partners with TVA and the City of Starkville (Starkville Utilities Department) to implement energy saving strategies. For example, MSU partnered with SUD/TVA during its lighting retrofit to perform pre/post audits that resulted in over $500,000 in rebates. Additionally, MSU has partnered with SUD/TVA to implement heat pump hot water solutions at the MSU Perry Cafeteria.

MSU has received over $500,000 in the past 5 years due to key partnerships with SUD/TVA. Currently, MSU is pursuing over $100,000 in construction incentives from SUD/TVA for designing and building highly efficient buildings. MSU has received several rebates from Atmos Gas due to the installation of high efficiency boiler and hot water technologies. In addition, MSU has partnered with Atmos to implement the use of low water faucet aerators across campus which has resulted in significant water savings. MSU has received tens of thousands of dollars in rebates and efficiency initiatives from Atmos Gas due to key partnerships.

Mississippi University for Women leveraged partnerships with TVA, Columbus Light and Water and architecture/engineering firm Pryor Morrow to repurpose an older vacant building to be modernized and more environmentally friendly.

Construction on Turner Hall, formerly known as the Demonstration School, started in January of 2018. The $8.2 million expansion and complete renovation will provide room for growth of the Speech Language Pathology program, Speech and Hearing Clinic and a large tiered auditorium-style classroom for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and other university programming.

Turner Hall will feature 100 percent LED lighting throughout the building, high-efficiency HVAC systems and a building automation system to monitor energy efficiency and control HVAC systems. The building also will have motion sensors for lighting as well as sensors to control power outlets when the building is unoccupied.

A technologically advanced window film will be applied to the original windowpanes that will allow each window to perform as modern-day insulated glass windows would while maintaining the historic aesthetics of the building.

TVA's EnergyRight Solutions program encourages both homeowners and businesses to make smarter choices about energy use. As a result of the partnership with TVA, the W will receive $46,569 in incentives for their wise energy choices.

PryorMorrow served as the architecture/engineering firm responsible for the design on Turner Hall while also acting as the liaison between the university and TVA to ensure all necessary documentation and calculations complied for the incentive process.

Construction of Turner Hall is expected to be complete in July 2019. This project is funded from state general obligation bonds.

In 2008, the University of Mississippi teamed with the City of Oxford to form Oxford University Transit (OUT), which now runs 12 different routes with two more to be added in 2019. Last year (2017) the service carried up to 7,000 people a day totaling 1,335,313 million riders.

The university and Oxford also partner on campus recycling. Recycling is processed through the City of Oxford’s Recycling Center, eliminating the need for the campus to have its own facility or trucks and employees.

The savings created through these partnerships prove, once again, that there is strength in numbers and much more can be accomplished by working together.

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The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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