Bethany College

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Located in Lindsborg, Kansas, Bethany is a small, private college that provides students personal attention within a caring community. The student body is highly engaged in learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Bethany College was trying to maintain numerous inefficient heating and cooling systems, and had old pneumatic controls in many buildings across campus that were out of calibration or no longer functioning. Major renovations were desperately needed, but the College lacked the funds to do more than just address the most pressing issues. Energy Solutions Professionals (ESP) completed a comprehensive ASHRAE Level 3 energy audit of all buildings on campus that showed that Bethany College had an excellent opportunity to make energy-saving improvements that could be paid for primarily from utility and operating savings.

ESP installed a new energy management system that replaces the old pneumatic system and will give facility personnel a level of control over the buildings that they never had before. The major HVAC issues were solved through the installation of new boilers and chillers, high efficiency split systems and heat pumps, and make-up air handler replacements. In addition numerous other energy-saving upgrades were able to be included: lighting retrofits across campus, plumbing fixtures that use less water, occupancy-based HVAC controls in three residence halls, retro-commissioning, and an energy conservation training program to educate and inform buildings occupants how to use less energy during their daily activities.

Comfort in classrooms and residence halls will be greatly improved, and the new controls will allow for the buildings to be operated far more efficiently. Maintenance staff will have fewer “fires” to put out and will have the ability to focus on more preventative maintenance. Bethany College expects to save nearly $200,000 annually that will be used to pay for the project through a guaranteed energy savings contract.