Michigan Tech is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and energy use by improving energy efficiency in existing buildings, minimizing energy demand in new constructions and renovations, and increasing renewable energy production while contracting for low-carbon sources.
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50%of MTU's purchased energy is from renewable wind power through 2025.
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$3.6Msavings in energy expenditures over the life of our current wind power contract.
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18Mkilowatt-hours of annual green power used.
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25%decrease in campus carbon footprint from 2016 to 2021.
Evergreen Energy Fund
In 2023, the university launched the Evergreen Energy Fund to support projects that enhance energy efficiency, such as installing LED lighting, upgrading insulation, and modernizing HVAC systems. The fund is designed to be self-sustaining, with savings reinvested to fund future projects. In its first two years, the fund invested $246,000, generating $120,000 in annual utility savings - a two-year return on investment. Additionally, these projects decrease operations and maintenance costs, improve the lived experience in campus buildings, and reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 1,100 tons annually, equivalent to removing 140 average US homes from the grid.
Design and build for the future
Michigan Tech is growing. Our goal of enrolling 10,000 students by 2035 will require extensive new construction and renovation of existing buildings outlined in our 2022 Campus Master Plan. We are committed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles that will minimize the environmental impact and maximize the wellness of building uses through our campus improvements. The H-STEM Complex, completed in spring of 2024, demonstrates that commitment, earning a prestigious LEED Gold certification.
Find more information on MTU's Energy Management Strategies below:
Emissions Reduction Hierarchy: From Most Favored to Least Favored1
- Avoid: Minimize Energy Demand in New Construction
- Reduce: Increase efficiency of current activities
- Substitute: Lower-carbon fuel and energy sources
- Compensate: Purchase and practice carbon offsets
1Blue diagram with a yellow inverted triangle that places a hierarchy on avoiding and minimizing energy demand, followed by reducing energy inefficiency, followed by substituting with better energy alternatives, and lastly followed by compensation through carbon offsets.