Washington State U. is going green with help from a $3 million state grant fund. The grant will assist with building improvement projects that will make them more energy efficient.

Governor Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Department of Commerce selected 29 public education institutions that will receive almost $17 million in grants to create jobs and save energy costs, according to a WSU Today story.

Energy-saving upgrades on campus will include lighting, heating and air conditioning, along with energy metering and voltage reduction.

“Most of the work is behind the scenes, so there’s not a lot of visual evidence that the students will be able to see,” said Terry A. Ryan, director of WSU Energy Systems Operations. “However, the projects will reduce and monitor the amount of energy the facility requires, improve space conditions and address some deferred maintenance issues, resulting in more reliable systems.” Construction will begin in September and continue until mid-year or the end of 2011. Building renovations will also take place at the Spokane and Tri-Cities campuses as well as the Puyallup Research and Extension Center.

With the help of more than $26 million in non-state funding, the total cost for all of the projects exceeds $44 million. Grant recipients were limited to a maximum of $5 million.

An estimated 660 jobs will be created, according to the WSU Today story.

“These funds support communities in improving public building performance, save energy, and will create immediate jobs in the construction sector,” said Rogers Weed, director of the Department of Commerce.

Ryan said WSU Facilities Operations is excited to receive the grant. The total cost of upgrades will amount to $6.7 million, most of which will come from energy savings, utility rebates and other non-state funds.

The annual energy savings from these projects will be 2.4 million kilowatt hours and 117,000 therms of natural gas, amounting to approximately $250,000 per year, he said.