The University of Portland installed new heating systems in three residence halls, reducing their energy consumption and saving the university an estimated $47,000 annually.

A leaky steam pipe connecting the University of Portland’s residence halls to a central steam plant resulted in unreliable hot water and heating, energy waste and costly repairs. After working with the Energy Trust to obtain a technical analysis study, the university made the decision to decentralize the heating in Shipstad, Kenna and Christie residence halls and install energy-efficient natural gas condensing boilers.

While traditional boilers lose a significant amount of heat through exhaust, these high-efficiency condensing boilers reclaim that heat which means the new system provides reliable heating and consistent domestic hot water while also consuming less energy. This helps the University of Portland save nearly $10,300 annually in water, sewer and maintenance costs as well as 52,000 therms of natural gas per year – the equivalent of $47,000 in annual energy savings.