TEN starts a project with the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music, with Support from City and State Energy Programs, Commences Energy Efficient Facilities Improvements
Philadelphia, December 16, 2020 –
The Curtis Institute of Music is kicking off a three-year project to make energy efficiency investments in its Philadelphia facilities through an agreement with The Efficiency Network.
“Improving our facilities across the Curtis campus is a key objective articulated in our strategic plan,” stated Larry Bomback, senior vice president of administration at the Curtis Institute of Music. “This multi-year project will dramatically improve energy efficiency in our Locust Street buildings and demonstrate our commitment to the greater Philadelphia community. We are proud to be able to reduce both our operating costs and our carbon footprint.” The project leverages resources of the Philadelphia Energy Authority and the Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Finance (PennSEF) program, created by a partnership of Pennsylvania Treasury and the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment.
PEA helps build a robust, equitable clean energy economy in Philadelphia through energy project and program development for City buildings, schools, housing and commercial buildings. “We want to encourage non-profits to embrace the City’s vision for reducing our carbon footprint and we are thrilled that Curtis has stepped forward to be one of the first local institutions to pursue this program,” said Alon Abramson, PEA Program Manager.
The agreement between Curtis and TEN was developed with support from PennSEF, which uses a guaranteed savings model to ensure cost savings from lower energy bills more than cover the up-front investment. “The PennSEF program offers technical, project development and financing assistance to make it much easier for organizations to pursue energy projects. We hope this model will be the motivation for projects that may otherwise appear too challenging for non-profit organizations to pursue,” said Keith Welks, Deputy State Treasurer for Fiscal Operations and Policy at the Pennsylvania Treasury.
This project will invest a total of $650,000 in new lighting and building systems controls in all Curtis buildings, will result in an annual savings of just over $35,000, and will reduce the school’s spending by 13%. The project will also reduce Curtis’s carbon footprint by approximately 166 MTE per year.
The project will be designed and constructed by The Efficiency Network. The company was selected as a result of a competitive process that was run jointly by Curtis, the Philadelphia Energy Authority and PennSEF. The Efficiency Network will be utilizing local companies to replace the lighting and to improve the building control systems.
TEN, based in Pittsburgh, with an office in the Philadelphia region, provides energy efficiency services to non-profits, state and local government, higher education and K-12 throughout the Mid-Atlantic. TEN is a subsidiary of Duquesne Light Holdings.
About the Curtis Institute
The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. For nearly a century Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. To ensure that admissions are based solely on artistic promise, Curtis makes an investment in each admitted student so that no tuition is charged for their studies. In a typical year, Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings in Philadelphia and around the world.
About The Efficiency Network
TEN, based in Pittsburgh, with an office in the Philadelphia region, provides energy efficiency services to
non-profits, state and local government, higher education and K-12 throughout the Mid-Atlantic. TEN is
a subsidiary of Duquesne Light Holdings.
About the Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Finance Program
The Pennsylvania Treasury Department has partnered with the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment (FREE), with financial support from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, to develop a prudent, market-based investment vehicle that promotes energy and water efficiency, clean energy generation, economic development and environmental improvement. To achieve this goal, FREE has established The Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Finance Program (PennSEF) that provides technical and legal assistance, as well as low-cost capital, for energy improvement projects by municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals.
About the Philadelphia Energy Authority
The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) is an independent municipal authority created in 2010 to advance energy affordability and sustainability for the City. PEA has facilitated over $136 million in clean energy projects in Philadelphia since launching the Philadelphia Energy Campaign in 2016, creating more than 1,300 jobs.
