POTSDAM -- The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will grant SUNY Potsdam $386,000 for two energy efficiency projects.

The college projected to save the college $130,000 annually and result in the avoidance of more than 692 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to a release form NYSRDA.

The projects, at SUNY Potsdam’s new Performing Arts Center and at its central chiller plant, support Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Build Smart NY initiative to reduce energy consumption in state buildings by 20 percent in seven years.

“These energy efficiency projects signify SUNY Potsdam’s firm commitment to reducing its environmental footprint in an effort to create a more sustainable New York,” Cuomo said. “We are committed to supporting efforts like these through our Build Smart NY initiative, which will not only to create jobs and reduce costs, but increase New York’s energy security.”

The projects are expected to save 543,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually.

According to the release, the performing arts project will save an additional 7,489 million BTUs of natural gas each year.

Electricity savings are the equivalent of powering 79 average-sized homes and natural gas savings are the equivalent of heating 105 homes, the release said.

This incentive will help offset the cost of a new high-efficiency electric chiller that will provide cooling to the new Performing Arts Center, an additional laboratory under renovation and other existing campus loads.

In addition, NYSERDA’s New Construction Program awarded $109,000 to help SUNY Potsdam offset the incremental cost of measures that enable the Performing Arts Center to operate at higher efficiency levels than New York State energy code.

These measures include an energy-efficient building shell (exterior walls, windows, doors, roof) to keep heated and cooled air inside, energy-efficient lighting design with daylight harvesting and occupancy controls to reduce the use of artificial light when sunlight is available and when the space is not occupied, and an energy-efficient HVAC system that provides heating, cooling and ventilation based on occupancy needs.

"As a Silver LEED certified building with innovative technologies such as the high efficiency electric chiller that provide cooling to SUNY Potsdam's new Performing Arts Center we save money for taxpayers and minimize environmental impact as well as fulfill Governor Cuomo's vision of an energy smart New York," said Steven Marqusee, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Potsdam.