University of California, Santa Barbara Brings Cool to School

UC Santa Barbara honored with membership in Southern California Edison’s Cool Planet Program

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – March 22, 2012 - Southern California Edison (SCE) and The Climate Registry honor University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) for its commitment to environmental stewardship and for taking action on climate change with membership in the Cool Planet Program. Cool Planet, sponsored by SCE and The Climate Registry, encourages energy efficiency as a way to reduce carbon use.   UCSB plans to reduce greenhouse gases to the levels emitted in 2000 by 2014, then to 1990 emissions levels by 2020, and be carbon neutral by 2050.

“UC Santa Barbara is a leader not only in innovative research, but also in pioneering practices for environmental conservation and sustainability," said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "I am proud of the commitment of our staff, faculty, and students to find exemplary ways to decrease emissions and enhance the health of our planet. We are honored to be recognized by Southern California Edison and The Climate Registry for our collaborative and ongoing efforts.”

SCE is helping UCSB transform its campus into a living laboratory for energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and environmental sustainability. The Strategic Energy Partnership is a program formed by the University of California and Investor Owned Utilities, which focuses on achieving significant energy reductions at the campus.  The program has been in place since 2004 and the campus is working to extend the program through 2016. Since its inception, UCSB has implemented $22 million worth of energy conservation projects.  UCSB has committed approximately $17 million in energy projects for the current three-year period.  Projects focus on lighting and HVAC retrofits as well as Monitoring Based Commissioning. Electric and natural gas utilities that serve the campus have provided a combined $5.8 million in incentive funding for these projects and the cumulative energy savings are estimated to be $3 million per year. 

Additionally, working with the school’s student-fee Green Initiative Fund, which directly finances energy efficiency projects, UCSB has funded lighting retrofits in four theaters. Most recently, the grant program funded the replacement of halogen lighting equipment with new LED fixtures in Isla Vista Theaters, which includes two theaters seating over 650 people. This will save 52,131 kilowatt-hours annually.

Gene Rodrigues, Director of Energy Efficiency and Customer Solar for Southern California Edison, said, “Energy efficiency and carbon reduction is a campus-wide goal at UCSB and it continues to lead the way in activities and strategies that benefit the environment.   We are proud to be a partner in this process along with their staff, faculty, alumni, and students.”

UCSB houses the Solid State Lighting & Energy Center and the Institute for Energy Efficiency, devoted to addressing challenges and breakthroughs in the energy sector. The Solid State Lighting & Energy Center develops new semiconductor based technologies for energy efficient lighting, solar energy conversion, and power electronics. Economic policies and technologies to promote energy efficiency are the focus at the Institute for Energy Efficiency.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA was established in 1944 and moved to its current location on a former US Marine Air Base in 1953. It is one of the 10 campuses in the University of California system. It is situated on 1,055 acres on the California coast about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. More than 200 majors, degrees, and credentials are offered through UCSB's five schools and the Graduate Division to over 18,000 students. www.ucsb.edu

The Climate Registry is California’s voluntary greenhouse gas registry providing tools for organizations to measure, manage, and reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. www.theclimateregistry.org

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Nancy Whalen

Direct:  323.788.8400

The Climate Registry