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Energy Management

Energy Conservation at Macalester

Starting with FY 2015-2016, Macalester College has set a goal of a 3% reduction in overall energy consumption per year, with a cumulative goal of a 15% reduction in energy used in the following five-year period. FY 2014-2015 was selected as the baseline period for measuring progress toward the consumption targets. In order to achieve these goals, Macalester has increased its ongoing energy conservation efforts via the creation of a new energy manager position, participation in Xcel Energy’s Commercial Energy Efficiency Program, implementation of additional lighting efficiency and control projects, upgrades to the campus building automation system, and the deployment of other new technologies.

Annual Energy Reports

Facilities Services annually reports consumption and cost data for the natural gas, fuel oil, electricity, and water consumed on Macalester’s campus.

In addition to the annual energy reports listed above, Macalester College also records its energy consumption using Energy Star Portfolio Manager. In 2021 Energy Star began providing benchmarking reports for higher education facilities to allow comparison with peer colleges and universities. The Higher Education Benchmarking Initiative (HEBI) report for Macalester can be downloaded and viewed using the links below.

Please contact Tyler Terhurne at to request energy consumption data from previous years.

Energy Conservation Projects

Macalester College has made sizable investments in past & ongoing energy conservation projects, and in 2016 started tracking the expected energy savings from these efforts using the GRITS (Green Revolving Investment Tracking System), which is an initiative of the Sustainable Investments Institute.  The table below shows the savings expected to be derived from investments made in energy and water conservation projects implemented to date.

Submeter Installation Project

The Facilities Services Department has partnered with Macalester College’s Sustainability Office and Mamac systems to install submeters on the electrical services serving the College’s major buildings. The data derived from the meters is used to identify buildings with the potential for energy conservation projects as well as to verify that the energy savings expected from completed projects were actually realized. After installation of the electrical submeters has been completed, additional meters will be connected to condensate meters across campus. Find live data on the Sustainability Data Portal at emis.macalester.edu.