HFC panel discusses College's successful energy transition plan at SCUP Detroit

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A panel of four recently made a presentation called “Henry Ford College's Successful Energy Transition to a Net-zero Energy Campus” at the North Central Conference of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) in Detroit.

The members of the panel included:

  • HFC Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Michael Nealon
  • HFC Director of Facilities Reuben Brukley
  • Peter Garforth, Principal, Garforth International, LLC in Toledo, OH
  • Ajit Naik, Vice President of Building Performance Analytics, Baumann Consulting, Inc. in Chicago

The panel’s learning outcomes included:

  1. Identifying upcoming facility and infrastructure investment requirements that serve as opportunities for transformative energy and carbon emissions reductions for a more sustainable, healthy campus.
  2. Brainstorming goals for a breakthrough campus-wide energy and carbon emissions transition.
  3. Advocating to key stakeholders for an analytical energy and decarbonization master planning approach with practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions, environmental impact, and operational costs.
  4. Considering appropriate contractual relationships for successful funding, implementation, quality control, and performance verification of an investment-grade energy and decarbonization plan.

“We presented practical strategies for facilitating a breakthrough energy transition on various organizations’ campuses in an effort to help reduce operational costs, enhance sustainability for a healthy environment, and stay current on innovative practices in higher education,” said Nealon.

Achieving global best practices ahead of schedule

Approved in 2019, HFC and Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) began a 20-year partnership called the Integrated Energy Master Plan (IEMP). Its goal is to achieve Global Best Practices in Energy Management and Education. So far, the IEMP has created major energy infrastructure improvements across the College.

The IEMP calls for breakthrough operational results by HFC’s target date of 2040. The changes will be highly measurable, resulting in 60-50-40 gains. This includes:

  • Energy efficiency improvement of 60%
  • Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 50%
  • Water efficiency improvement of 40%

In just under four years, HFC has halved its carbon footprint and is on track to fully decarbonize within the next decade. HFC’s strategic integrated energy planning has already achieved significant energy and carbon reductions, delivered solid economic and reliability benefits, and drastically reduced deferred maintenance.

As of now, HFC is well on its way to reaching or exceeding the aforementioned numbers long before the 2040 target date, despite beginning this project in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This $23 million project – about 20% of HFC’s annual budget – includes upgrades in every area of HFC’s main campus, including:

District Heating System: Upgraded system includes high efficiency boilers and integration of heat recovery from combined heat and power plant.

  • HVAC Upgrades: Many improvements to air-handling equipment for better control and air quality.
  • Controls: Complete system upgrade to ensure occupant comfort.
  • Lighting: Upgrade to LED lighting campus-wide.
  • Solar: Generating our own power from the sun.
  • Water Conservation: Upgraded water fixtures and bathroom facilities.
  • Xeriscaping: Zero-water landscaping and upkeep in parts of campus.
  • Building Envelope: Focused roof upgrades and window replacements.
  • Academic Programs: Coordinated approach to integrate performance improvements with academic curriculum.

The cost savings are guaranteed by JCI to reduce waste. These guaranteed savings will pay off the project in 14 years. JCI is obligated to pay HFC any savings goals that are missed.

At the forefront in transforming its main campus into a living classroom

With the IEMP serving as the cornerstone of the campus transformation, HFC will reach its net zero targets while providing students with an unprecedented educational experience. The Living Learning Classroom experience will support emerging career pathways, build the workforce of the future, and foster innovators who will create a more sustainable energy future.

The IEMP’s goal of promoting a sustainable energy culture and serving the global energy transition also calls for a new energy-related curriculum that allows students to learn global best practices in real time from the College's own systems.

The campus is designed as a “living classroom” to serve as a training ground and a showcase for global best practices in energy management and education, providing new career pathways for students interested in entering a rapidly growing field. This includes a 1-year major for technicians, a 2-year major for project managers, and a path to a bachelor’s degree in energy production.

The IEMP will extend HFC's academic offerings and community outreach. The College will engage school systems in the surrounding area to raise awareness of energy and climate. This will enable HFC to partner with secondary educators and industry partners to design curricula, as well as launch and refine comprehensive clean energy awareness programs.

Graduating students will enter the workforce prepared for careers that will provide family-sustaining wages and foster financial equity. They will be equipped with skills relevant to the energy transition underway in North America and globally, in turn helping close a major skills gap. The “living classroom” will play a critical role in HFC’s strategy to expand its curriculum to include hands-on, energy-focused courses that align with workforce needs.

HFC’s curriculum development is supported by the JCI Community College Partnership Program, a major $15 million, 5-year philanthropic investment in community colleges across the country. In this program, educational institutions such as HFC are selected for their future-driven focus and proven ability to serve underrepresented groups.

“HFC is at the forefront of colleges and universities in transforming its main campus into a living classroom,” said Nealon. “We will use what we have built and achieved through the IEMP project in the development of learning opportunities from K-12 outreach to transfer pathways leading to advanced degrees in energy technology.”