It’s the flood’s fault.
All fingers point to the 2008 flood as the reason U. Iowa has fallen short of each of its three energy-saving goals documented in the Energy Conservation and Management Strategic Plan.
By July 1, the UI should have saved $3.5 million to $4 million, decreased energy use by 10 percent, and increased renewable energy by 15 percent over 2003, according to the 2007 plan.
Instead, the UI was able to save around $2.5 million, decrease energy use by 8 percent, and increase renewable energy between an estimated 11 and 13 percent, judging by past performance, said Glen Mowery, the director of utilities and energy management for UI Facilities Management.
“I am confident we would have met the goals set if we hadn’t had a major flood on campus,” said Liz Christiansen, the director of the UI Office of Sustainability. The Energy Conservation Advisory Council originally made the plan; it now rests with the Office of Sustainability.
The goal was originally set for 2013, but in an Earth Day 2008 speech, UI President Sally Mason advanced the target date to fiscal 2010.
As of December 2009, officials remained hopeful they would reach their targets. But the setbacks stemming from the flood of 2008 ended up being too great.
Mowery estimated the flood set progress back a year and a half, noting the goals could be met by the middle of the 2011 calendar year.
The flood shut down the UI Power Plant, located on the banks of the Iowa River, so all work had to be suspended to get the Power Plant back in working order, Christiansen said. Ferman Milster, associate director of utilities and energy management, said the Power Plant was out of service for 16 weeks because of the flood, and it cost $20 million to restore. The facility’s insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency paid for the project.
In addition, the many flooded buildings that were not up and running made it difficult to tell how much money or energy was saved due to the plan.
“We have some buildings that are not in operation, so it kind of skews our numbers,” said Don Guckert, the UI associate vice president for Facilities Management.
Milster said the UI was able to save money and energy by updating building control systems, building scheduling — turning buildings off or down during unoccupied times — and lighting efficiency.
As for renewable resources, Milster said, the UI is shifting to biomass, renewable resources such as oat hulls — a byproduct from the Quaker Oats factory in Cedar Rapids — instead of fossil fuels.
“What you see since the flood is our rededication to building renewable-energy systems on campus and promoting energy conservation,” Christiansen said.
Mowery said the UI is working on more aggressive goals for the next decade pertaining to energy conservation and renewable resources.
“We would fight that the flood caused us to lose some of the momentum,” Guckert said. “We are working hard to get that momentum again.”