How it Works

Four Principles of Energy Resiliency

Dartmouth's energy strategy centers around four principles: reducing energy consumption, modernizing how we distribute heat to buildings, incorporating renewable and combustion-free heat sources, and transitioning to low-emission electricity. Together, these efforts will make our campus energy systems more efficient, more resilient, and less reliant on fossil fuels.

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1. Reduce Energy Demand

We are continuously reducing energy use in buildings through a wide array of energy conservation projects including LED lighting, heat recovery, building controls upgrades and other improvements. These projects have helped Dartmouth reduce its emissions by about 30% since 2010.

Steam to Hot Water Transition

2. Steam to Hot Water Transition

We will replace all steam distribution piping with new hot water piping, which is a much more efficient way to distribute heat from the central plant to campus buildings. Steam will also be eliminated from building heating systems, in addition to other energy efficiency improvements.

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3. New Heat Sources

The transition to hot water distribution opens the door to a range of renewable and combustion-free heat sources. These include solar hot water collectors, photovoltaic panels, and over time, a geo-exchange system that would use the stable temperature of the earth to heat and cool buildings. As the distribution network is built out, Dartmouth will be positioned to integrate these and other emerging technologies as they become available.

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4. Low-Emission Electricity

We will utilize low-emission electricity sources, through a combination of on campus renewable electricity technology and procured off-site renewable electricity sources, to power the heat pumps, hot water pumps, and other campus electrical systems. Presently, 1% of our on-campus power is generated from solar panels on site.

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