Lander University and Piedmont Technical College have been awarded federal economic stimulus funds by the South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office to make energy efficiency improvements.

Lander University received $232,000 to upgrade lighting fixtures, install heating and air conditioning energy management control systems and replace an outdated boiler with an energy efficient water heater. These improvements will save the university more than $52,000 annually.

Piedmont Technical College received $115,850 to install lighting controls in classrooms campus-wide and replace three heating and air conditioning units with more efficient models. These improvements will help the college save more than $25,000 annually in energy costs.

“By upgrading lighting fixtures and heating and air conditioning units, both institutions will realize greater cost savings through added energy efficiency,” said John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office.
The state’s public colleges and universities are receiving a total of $12.2 million, and state agencies are getting $7.4 million for energy efficiency improvements. The state’s 85 school districts are sharing $20.3 million in grants and loans for energy efficiency.