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King Library Receives "Savings by Design" Award from PG&E

April 29, 2004 -

PG&E awards the King Library a $250,000 check for energy savings.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library has been awarded a $250,000 “Savings by Design” program award by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. PG&E presented the check to city and university officials today during a brief ceremony at the King Library.

PG&E’s savings program encourages high-performance nonresidential building design and construction. The company offers financial incentives for building owners and their design teams to construct a highly energy-efficient building through a process of collaborative design with PG&E.

"Resource efficiency, responsibility for the environment, human productivity, quality of life – are all essential benefits of well-designed buildings,” said Frank Regan, PG&E’s vice president of government relations. “Only a few design professionals achieve a rare combination of superlative design and creativity, environmental sensitivity, and innovative energy efficiency solutions. The King Library meets these standards."

According to PG&E, the library’s final energy savings came in at 1,511,100 kWh per year, well above California’s Title 24 Energy Code requirements. These savings were obtained through better glazing and new technology in lighting design and control systems, which reduced the cooling and heating requirements of the building by 44 and 31 percent respectively. The design team of Flack + Kurtz, mechanical and electrical engineering consultants, and Carrier Johnson Architects are credited with working together to achieve the most efficient building design within the budget constraints.

"The new King Library is the flagship for our city's commitment to buildings that are energy efficient and environmentally sustainable," said San José Mayor Ron Gonzales, who joined with SJSU’s Don Kassing, vice president of administration and finance, to accept the award. "We are also designing and building our fleet of new branch libraries to use less energy and other resources."

"San José State University and PG&E have had a long and productive history of strong collaboration on various energy savings projects,” said Kassing. “At SJSU, we are committed to being responsible citizens in contributing positive solutions to our state’s precarious energy structure."

The $250,000 award will be applied to future Library Capital Improvements and upgrades.

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