Energy Supply Alternatives

• Introduction
• Btus and the Variability of Consumption
• Stored On-Site Fuels
• Conclusion

Introduction

Energy is an important component of every college or university's total budget. While it is far from the largest piece, the potential for annual variability can be a serious problem. As facility leaders, we need to be familiar with all aspects of supply, purchase, and consumption. The 1970s and 1990s saw several important pieces of legislation that helped set up our current state of affairs, and more will surely be coming as we seek to minimize the impacts of energy use on the earth and our economy.

This body of knowledge is prepared at reasonable intervals for most things, but the accelerating rate of change for utilities is one of our new constants. The coming decade is sure to include all kinds of things that we cannot imagine today, but there are basics that will always be true.

In our senior facility officer roles:

• We are concerned about acquiring the correct amount of Btus from all sources in order to properly support our enterprise.
• We have to consider reliability of both supply and process.
• We must know how to acquire energy resources at the most practical price points.
• We should consider the outcomes of our energy choices.