Oglebay Hall saves Univ. $31,000 in heating, AC

Oglebay Hall, built in 1917, saves West Virginia University $31,000 a year due to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design additions to the building, said Randy Hudak, assistant director of Facilities Management.

The savings are based on the operations of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment, and water conservation units in the building.

During the renovations, which were completed in 2007, they were able to reuse 75 percent of the building and recycle 50 percent of the extra materials, said Clement Solomon, director of the Office of Sustainability.

LEED elements in Oglebay Hall include things like dual flush toilets, low wattage lighting, on and off lighting sensors, air conditioning and heating energy recovery, reuse of air and high efficiency mechanics of the building.

"We spend 90 percent of our time in buildings," Solomon said. "So let's spend it the right way with efficiency, H2O energy, recycling and air quality for a productive lab or class environment."

The 2007 renovations had a budget of $23.56 million, and the building officially received LEED certification in September 2009.

WVU scored between 40 and 49 percent in the point system during it's certification, Hudak said.

No exact certification was given.

"Once you're certified, that's it. There's no follow up," Hudak said. "But conserving energy and operating effectively is our best interest."

LEED certification is based on how the building qualifies in six areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality as well as innovation and design process.

To be LEED certified, a building must gain 23 to 27 points. Silver certification requires 28 to 33 points, gold certification requires 34 to 44 points and platinum certification requires 45 to 61 points.

However, WVU does not have any plans to make other buildings "green" or LEED certified.

The University tries to incorporate LEED elements on all projects, even if they don't result in LEED certification, Hudak said.

Sustainability is an ongoing journey at WVU, Solomon said.

"Our vision is to further that and to adapt it to WVU, to fit our institution. Not because we want to follow others," he said.