Spotlight on Energy Savings
The DCSEU helps Arena Stage invest in the most cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades and avoid making upgrades that don't make sense for their bottom line.
The DCSEU was extremely helpful, took the information, and brought back the realistic picture. It ended up saving us from purchasing something we didn’t really need.
Arena Stage was about to invest in an energy efficiency project that was expected to reduce annual electricity use by 700 MWh. For a nonprofit theatre that relies on donations and ticket sales, every dollar counts. Director of Facilities LaShelle Jenkins needed an unbiased third party capable of checking the estimate for accuracy. The DCSEU met with Ms. Jenkins to calculate MWh savings, taking into account operational hours, set point temperatures, and building schedules. The DCSEU determined that the chiller project would have saved around 186MWh per year—not 700MWh—a discrepancy that would have increased the project’s payback period. The vendor verified the DCSEU’s calculations, and Arena Stage decided not to start the costly project. The DCSEU recommended alternative projects that would return their investment more quickly.
