Summary
Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC) partnered with Ameresco on a comprehensive energy infrastructure project designed to improve campus efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Following an investment-grade audit, SENMC entered a 20-year O&M contract with Ameresco to address needed upgrades across the campus. These investments support SENMC’s goals to enhance learning environments, reduce energy costs, and deliver long-term financial benefits.
“As a newly independent college, SENMC recently finalized its first campus master plan and five-year strategic plan. As a foundation to those plans, we needed to create the best possible environment for our students, faculty and staff. What started as a distant dream of replacing aging HVAC equipment, providing solar-covered parking for our students, employees, and guests, and keeping our energy costs under control has become a reality thanks to our partnership with Ameresco. The project will reduce our campus energy usage and costs, supporting our strategic plan goals related to efficiency, learning, and student success. This project was truly a collaborative effort – we very much appreciate Ameresco’s knowledge and effective implementation of state-of-the art solutions that have enabled us to better serve our campus and community.”
– Dr. Kevin Beardmore
President of SENMC
20 Years
M&V and O&M Contract Term
977.7 kW-DC
Solar PV System Size
~$141,000
Estimated Annual Energy Savings
142,000 Sq. Ft.
Facility Size
Customer Benefits
In addition to generating approximately $141,000 in annual energy cost savings, the upgrades and solar carports highlight SENMC’s commitment to their strategic energy goals, allowing them to serve their campus and community. Additional benefits of the project include:
- Enhanced reliability of campus facility operations and energy use
- Improved quality of learning and research environments for students and faculty
- 20-year performance guarantee for efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations
- Reduced deferred maintenance backlog on critical equipment across campus
Solution
SENMC partnered with Ameresco to modernize its aging energy infrastructure and create a more efficient, comfortable environment for students and staff. Ameresco implemented a range of energy efficient upgrades, including the installation of solar-covered parking canopies to help offset energy costs. Solutions provided include the following:
- Interior & exterior LED lighting retrofits
- Rooftop units (RTUs) & heat pump upgrades
- Heating hot water coils replacements
- Condenser evaporative cooling upgrades
- Building controls replacements
- Building envelope improvements
- High efficiency transformer installation
- Solar PV carports
