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Kirkwood Recognized for Energy Efficient Design

By October 23, 2015December 5th, 2018No Comments

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (October 23, 2015)–Kirkwood Community College has been given the Excellence in Energy Efficient Design Award through Alliant Energy’s Commercial New Construction program.

The Commercial New Construction program provides complimentary energy design assistance and financial incentives to help offset the cost of implementing energy-efficient strategies. Kirkwood’s recent renovation of Linn Hall, the first building to be erected on the current main campus site, was eligible to participate as the facility utilized exemplary practices and resources in sustainability and environmental procedures during construction.

“Kirkwood strives for conservation of energy,” said Kirkwood’s Associate Vice President of Facilities and Security Tom Kaldenberg. “There are more than 800,000 square feet of facilities using geothermal heating and cooling. Sensor-controlled lighting, green cleaning techniques and the addition of solar panels helps Kirkwood to leave less of a carbon footprint. Kirkwood’s wind turbine has produced more than $1 million in electricity since its commissioning in 2012.”

Kirkwood can expect a 59 percent annual kBTU savings because of its willingness to participate in keeping their construction efforts green during the renovation of Linn Hall. The Commercial New Construction program is available to Iowa businesses that have new construction, addition or renovation projects in the design phase and will use retail electricity and/or natural gas from Alliant Energy, Black Hills Energy or MidAmerican Energy Company.

For more information on the many ways Kirkwood contributes to use of environmentally friendly practices and the cultivation of courses that focus on sustainability, visit the Kirkwood Green website at www.kirkwood.edu/kirkwoodgreen.