University of Minnesota

Energy Conservation Internal Loan Program

The loan program, established in 1998, is capitalized through the University’s internal loan pool and is repaid from the departmental budget savings generated by energy conservation projects. The maximum payback period permitted is six years, and loans are charged an interest rate of 5.5%. Projects are identified by the University’s Energy Management department from recommissioning studies, utility plans, and suggestions from the University community. Over the past two years the University’s building recommissioning projects and It All Adds Up energy conservation program have yielded $4.6 million in annual avoided utility costs and reduced CO2 emissions by 50,000 tons. The Energy Conservation Internal Loan Program has been an important tool for financing many of the energy conservation projects that contribute to these savings.

The higher education participants in The Challenge are managed by Second Nature. To learn more about how Second Nature plans to expand use of GRFs in higher education, visit their page!