College Receives $327,000 for "Green" Efforts
The Loras College Athletic and Wellness Center offers a variety of brand new cardiovascular and weight training equipment to meet the needs of competitive student-athletes. Included in the construction of the new building with state-of-the-art exercise equipment was state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems and a lighting system optimizing natural light and energy efficiency. To recognize the center for its commitment to energy conservation, Alliant Energy presented Loras College with a $327,000 rebate check on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
When Loras made the decision to build a new wellness center, it was important to the community to build a "green" facility. Before getting started, the College invited Alliant Energy into the design process. The building went through an energy-efficient evaluation process provided by the Commercial New Construction (CNC) program offered through Alliant Energy. The planning team evaluated options available to reduce energy consumption and heating and cooling costs to reflect the College’s commitment to sustainability.
"We evaluated several potential energy conservation strategies Loras could consider in building the wellness center," said Craig Clefisch-Strategic Account Manager, Alliant Energy. "Loras College leadership was willing to commit to energy-efficiency on the front end allowing us to achieve much greater fiscal and environmental results." By partnering with Alliant Energy while the center was being designed, a variety of energy conservation strategies were considered, including roof and wall insulation, daylighting and window glazing as well as highly efficient mechanical systems. These strategies were modeled prior to construction so that Loras could see anticipated energy savings, incremental costs, and utility incentive amounts.
Alliant Energy’s CNC program helped decrease expected electricity consumption by more than 72 percent, saving more than 2,340,599 kWh of electricity each year at the Loras College Athletic and Wellness Center. This results in the College saving an estimated $122,272 on its annual energy bill and earning $327,000 in energy efficiency rebates.
"Loras is one of less than 15 percent of all colleges that became a signatory of the President’s Climate Commitment in an effort to aid environmental stewardship. The city of Dubuque is a nationwide leader among its peers in declaring sustainability as a key priority. And, Alliant Energy is one of few service providers that rewards and cherishes such commitments and initiatives," said President Jim Collins. "The Athletic and Wellness Center is yet another prime example of how Loras is environmentally responsive – from the incorporation of geothermal wells to sensor controls. We are grateful to Alliant for its shared mission, commitment and financial support."
In addition to lowering its energy bill and receiving a cash incentive from Alliant Energy, Loras is also doing its part to reduce its environmental impact. By choosing to make the building more efficient than required by the State of Iowa building code, the energy efficiency measures will avoid more than 1,666 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. This is equivalent to removing about 305 passenger vehicles from Iowa roadways or planting about 379 acres of trees.
The 74,000+ square foot center is available to Loras and Dubuque community members interested in leading a healthy lifestyle and improving their own wellness. The facility boasts a concession area and houses the offices of all coaches who compete in the building, the athletics director, the strength and conditioning coach and the athletic training staff. The center also houses the basketball arena with stadium seating for 1,764 and the capability to add an additional 1,500 seats.