Southeast New Mexico College Gains On-Site Solar, Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Renewable and energy efficiency project developer Ameresco has completed an on-site power and energy savings upgrade for Southeast New Mexico College in Carlsbad.

Ameresco installed various renewable and energy efficient technologies that are estimated to save SENMC over $141,000 annually in energy savings and improve its overall energy reliability efforts. The deployed upgrades include interior and exterior LED lighting retrofits across campus, upgrading rooftop units (RTUs), replacing heat pumps and heating hot water coils, condenser evaporative cooling upgrades, updating building controls, improving the building envelope, installing high efficiency transformers, and constructing 977.7 kW-DC of solar photovoltaic covered parking.

“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,” Kevin Beardmore, president of Southeast New Mexico College, said in a statement. “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.”

Ameresco completed its work in June and provided a 20-year energy performance guarantee to SENMC for the project’s energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations.

Southeast New Mexico College was established 75 years ago as Carlsbad Instructional Center. It later joined the New Mexico State University system and became an independent institution four years ago.

Ameresco has done energy efficiency, lighting and on-site installation at numerous educational institutions across the U.S.