CEEE’s Energy Auditing Work Saved State of Maryland $36.6 million in Utility Costs by Reducing Energy Consumption in State Buildings by 12.5 percent

CEEE's AHXPI consortium group was recognized by Governor Hogan's office for the energy auditing of over 4 million square feet of state-owned buildings which decreased energy consumption by 12.5 percent and saved the state over $36.6 million in utility costs since 2018. The auditing is led by CEEE co-founder Dr. Michael Ohadi and is carried out by his team of researchers in the Smart Thermal Systems Laboratory.

In March 2019, The Department of General Services (DGS) signed a memorendum of understanding (MOU) with the Small and Smart Thermal Systems Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park to perform energy audits on state-owned buildings throughout the state.

"The partnership with S2TS is a win-win for the state,” said DGS Director of Energy and Sustainability David St. Jean. “We get professional energy audits at bargain prices, and the graduate mechanical engineers get technical training and valuable work experience. We’re proud to be helping the next generation of energy-focused engineers.”

To date, the auditing team has performed energy audits at six different agencies, finding significant energy savings opportunities at each facility. The auditing project will continue to perform energy audits at a minimum of 2 million square feet of state-owned buildings annually until at least 2029.

“Reducing energy in the state government produces positive, environmental, fiscal and health benefits for all Marylanders” said DGS Secretary Ellington E. Churchill, Jr. “By upgrading and retrofitting our state office buildings with energy efficient lighting, HVAC controls, refrigeration, and other high impact measures the state will be able to achieve cost savings within a relatively short time frame.”

The State of Maryland historically spends more than $210 million each year on energy related utilities with state facilities. In response to Governor Hogan’s energy savings executive order 01.01.2019.08, the OES developed an energy auditing program for state-owned buildings, staffing a full-time energy auditor to oversee the effort. OES audits concentrate on finding low-cost measures for increasing energy efficiency that will result in energy cost savings within five to 10 years. The information gained from the audit reports are utilized to develop new efficiency projects to help the state achieve Governor Hogan’s energy savings goal.

Published May 27, 2022