DANBURY, Connecticut — The Facilities Department at Western Connecticut State University has participated since January 2024 in Eversource CT’s Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program with partners at Cascade Energy to identify opportunities that could result in energy savings. In addition to capturing significant savings as a result during the past two years, WCSU also was recognized by Eversource and Cascade as the SEM Champion in a competition that pitted six Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) entities against one another in a race for who could amass the largest savings in the shortest amount of time.
Eversource CT’s SEM program, is a free, long-term initiative for businesses and municipalities in their Connecticut service area. The SEM program helps organizations develop a continuous improvement approach to reducing energy intensity over time, characterized by ongoing internal commitment, planning and implementation, and systematic measurement. SEM focuses on business practice change, affecting organizational culture and improving an organization’s internal capacity to successfully reduce energy waste and energy intensity.
WCSU enrolled in the SEM program in January 2024, along with fellow CSCU participants Eastern Connecticut State University, Central Connecticut State University, CSCU Northwestern, CSCU Middlesex, and CSCU Norwalk. The program included a set of five interactive workshops where they learned about energy management principles and best practices together, and subsequently participated in a competition.
An SEM “Treasure Hunt” took place in May 2024, during which the university’s SEM Coaching Team from Cascade Energy and representatives from Eversource visited buildings on both the Midtown and Westside campuses and identified 50+ energy savings opportunities, including both low and no-cost projects, as well as capital projects during the event.
Deanna Cibery-Schaab, WCSU Interim AVP, Facilities Management & Planning, explained, “As part of the program, we participated in a scavenger hunt to identify opportunities, created tasks in a software tracking system (Gazebo), and worked to close those projects for savings. Some examples included the creation of an energy commitment and adjusting temperatures in server rooms and buildings.”
The following year, in May 2025, the six CSCU SEM participants kicked off the “Great SEM Race,” which was designed to reward the sites that achieved the most electricity savings over the summer break, and recognize the first to complete the requisite number of projects to “cross the finish line” first in August 2025. WCSU received a trophy for being the first to cross the finish line of all six CSCU participants; the WCSU team also was recognized for achieving the most electricity savings among their university peers.
According to Rob Hart, Senior SEM Coach at Cascade Energy, “In its first two years in the program, WCSU completed 14 projects, totaling 330,701 kWh/yr in annualized electrical savings that are being claimed with Eversource. Projects included adjusting HVAC setpoints, placing a commercial kitchen on standby, and implementing the Energy Commitment, which guides WCSU stakeholders to be more energy conscious. Congratulations to WCSU Building Maintenance Supervisor Kyle Brennan; Interim AVP, Facilities Management & Planning, Deanna Cibery-Schaab; and the whole WCSU team for their great accomplishments!”
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.