Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May and members of the company's leadership team presented McNeese State University with $150,000 to support major energy efficiency upgrades on campus through the Entergy Solutions program an initiative that helps customers save energy and money by reducing the upfront cost of energy efficiency improvements. The investment reflects Entergy Louisiana's ongoing commitment to helping educational institutions across the state lower energy costs and reinvest savings into student success.
"McNeese plays an essential role in educating the next generation and supporting the economic vitality of Southwest Louisiana," said May. "We're proud to partner with them on projects that make their campus more energy efficient and free up resources that can be redirected to students and academic programs."
The upgrades were part of a comprehensive energy optimization project at McNeese's central chiller plant. The university analyzed system performance and identified opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce energy waste.
The chilled water plant previously operated with excessive pumping and outdated control procedures. With support from Entergy Solutions, variable frequency drives (VFDs) were added to the motors powering the primary, secondary, and condenser water pumps, as well as the cooling tower fans. The improvements have reduced total energy consumption by 20%, generating an estimated $90,000 in annual savings for the university.
"If we can lower our energy footprint, that fits into our mission as a university to be more sustainable and good stewards of our resources," said Dr. Wade Rousse, McNeese president. "More importantly, lowering the cost of our operations helps us lower the cost of attending our institution, a benefit to our students, their families, and our community. Making higher education more affordable and accessible is at the heart of what we do and Entergy is helping us do that."
About Entergy Solutions
Entergy Solutions is a program that gives incentives to Entergy Louisiana customers to perform energy-saving upgrades in their facilities. The program offers many ways to decrease energy use and save on expenses while maintaining a modern, safe operation.
About Entergy Louisiana
Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated Entergy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 24,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 5,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,000 employees.
About McNeese State University
McNeese State University, founded in 1939 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is a top-ranked public university known for strong job placement, high starting salaries and a great return on investment. With a 20:1 student-to-faculty ratio, over 100 market-driven programs and $63 million in financial aid, McNeese prepares graduates for careers and graduate school success. Learn more at mcneese.edu.
Media inquiries:
Entergy
Brandon Scardigli
bscardi@entergy.com
504-576-4132
McNeese
Tanya Brewster
tbrewster1@mcneese.edu
337-475-5640
