University at Buffalo Teams with NYPA on Energy-Savings $5.3 Million Project at Governors Complex Residences

Contact:
Brian Warner
914-390-8183
brian.warner@nypa.gov
Arthur Page - UB
716-645-5000 ext 1410

September 2, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BUFFALO---Students returning to the University at Buffalo (UB) for the fall semester are finding the Governors Complex residences a more comfortable place. UB officials and staff teamed this summer with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to complete the energy-efficiency upgrades in the buildings as part of an ongoing $5.3 million initiative.

“The University at Buffalo is setting a great example when it comes to making the best use of energy resources, and the New York Power Authority is proud to lend a helpful hand,” said NYPA Chairman Joseph J. Seymour. “Under Governor Pataki’s leadership, the Power Authority has increased its investment in energy efficiency and clean energy programs for the State University as a whole, for annual savings of over $11 million and lowered energy use by nearly 22,000 kilowatts (kw) a year. The UB upgrades will add to those savings.”

Chairman Seymour said that UB will save nearly $79,000 annually from the upgrades at the Governor’s Complex, lowering energy usage by more than 1.1 million kilowatt-hours The residences are located at UB’s North Campus in Amherst.

UB President John B. Simpson noted that the university, “is committed to providing key environmental and social leadership in our communities, and using precious energy resources wisely and well is a critical part of this commitment.

“UB’s leadership in this regard is not only ideological -- it’s highly practical as well,” Simpson added. “We are leading the way in developing innovative, environmentally sustainable solutions for the 21st century, and putting these plans into action begins right here on our own campuses.

“We’re proud to partner with the New York Power Authority in this vitally important energy conservation project, and we are grateful for Governor Pataki’s longstanding support for these efforts.”

“The upgrade at the Governors Complex residences is the latest of several energy-efficiency projects NYPA has undertaken with the University at Buffalo to improve its heating system, enhance lighting and conserve water, as well as energy,” said Eugene W. Zeltmann, NYPA president and chief executive officer. “The most recent upgrade also included installing double-pane tinted windows at UB’s Clinton and Dewey residences to help lower heating and cooling costs.”

Some 400 energy-efficient windows at the Governor DeWitt Clinton and Governor Thomas E. Dewey residence halls keep rooms cooler during the summer without diminishing natural lighting. The new windows also help to retain interior heat during the winter.

Additional measures by NYPA included replacement of glass doors and roofing modifications and masonry repairs.

Following the spring 2006 semester, the Power Authority, working with UB staff, will complete the second phase of the $5.3 million upgrade, replacing windows in two other buildings in the complex named for former New York Governors Herbert Lehman and Theodore Roosevelt.

In 2004, UB, with assistance from NYPA undertook a nearly $11 million upgrade at UB’s Goodyear Residence Hall, located on the South Campus in Buffalo. It included a new heating system and energy-efficient windows.

The New York Power Authority, which is the nation’s largest state-owned power provider, operates the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston, New York’s largest source of electricity. It also has 16 other generating facilities in various parts of the state, along with more than 1,400 circuit-miles of high-voltage transmission lines.