In alignment with the State of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), BuildSmart 2025, and SUNY’s 1B-2 directive, Alfred State College committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With 112 campus buildings totaling over 1.7 million square feet, this effort required a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach to energy planning.

To support these ambitious goals, the State University Construction Fund (SUCF) and Alfred State College partnered with Wendel to develop a Clean Energy Master Plan. Central to this effort was an updated campus-wide energy audit focused on understanding how the College uses energy to heat, cool, and power its facilities. Wendel worked closely with campus staff and SUCF to gather extensive building data, analyze energy loads, and perform walkthroughs that informed a deep energy retrofit strategy. The collaboration and insight provided by Alfred State personnel played a critical role in the study’s success.

The resulting Clean Energy Master Plan evaluated three strategic pathways toward electrification and long-term energy reduction. Each option considered infrastructure capacity, space constraints, proximity of buildings, and opportunities to leverage simultaneous heating and cooling loads. The study emphasized replacing fossil fuel-based HVAC systems with high-efficiency electrified systems, reducing building energy loads through targeted Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs), and identifying the campus’s solar generation potential.

Wendel’s analysis helped establish a strong foundation for project development, delivering a design basis for transformative HVAC system upgrades and deep energy savings. Beyond operational improvements, the plan positions Alfred State as a leader in campus sustainability, enhancing its reputation, opening doors to funding opportunities, and creating hands-on learning environments for students interested in clean energy and climate solutions.

With the selected strategy now in place, Alfred State College is well on its way to becoming a carbon-neutral campus and a model for climate leadership in higher education.

The Dunkirk City School District wanted to utilize NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative Program to assess energy efficiency measures and clean energy technologies at its facilities. This initiative provides funding for eligible Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 schools to evaluate energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that help reduce annual energy, operational, and maintenance costs.

Wendel assisted the District in evaluating potential upgrades through a detailed energy study of eight buildings totaling 478,820 SF. This study identified possible cost savings, incentives, and greenhouse gas reductions, which will aid in making informed decisions regarding future project design and implementation.

The District is in the early stages of planning a capital improvement program encompassing all buildings, prioritizing energy measures. Wendel collected historic energy consumption data for the eight selected buildings to establish an energy usage baseline. On-site investigations documented existing conditions and identified energy-saving opportunities. Wendel developed energy savings modeling calculations for each Energy Conservation Measure (ECM) using this data and existing mechanical and electrical system drawings. We also collaborated with vendors and applied internal estimates based on previous construction projects to generate cost estimates. We also performed energy calculations and economic analyses to evaluate these measures’ feasibility, costs, potential energy impact, and economic analysis of the return on investment.

Upgrades to the building envelope and clean cooling systems will enhance occupant comfort at a lower cost. The HVAC controls allow for a more dynamic, customizable, and balanced system, which leads to more uniform building conditioning. Retro-commissioning ensures that systems communicate effectively with one another, preventing conflicts during transitional months. The solar energy system will provide renewable energy, helping to reduce the District’s greenhouse gas emissions. Our team assisted the District with utilizing NYSERDA funding through the Clean Green Schools program to cover the entire cost of the study, $79,400.

Engaging in an energy study like this is incredibly beneficial. Having a knowledgeable team like Wendel ensures a smooth process and meaningful results. For us it was a no brainer to accept the NYSERDA funding to get the study completed. The bonus was that we already had a working relationship with Wendel. That helped us get going quickly. The transition to a clean energy environment is the path we are on. The ability to do it more efficiently and effectively having the study completed is priceless.

– Timothy L. Abbey, Director of Facilities III, Dunkirk City School District

The University at Buffalo engaged Wendel to develop a Clean Energy Master Plan for the south campus. The campus comprises 46 buildings and includes laboratory, medical, and academic facilities. The objective of the master plan was to provide an actionable roadmap to a zero-carbon energy system.

Wendel’s team reviewed drawings, interviewed facility and utility staff, and surveyed building equipment, energy distribution systems, and central plant equipment. Wendel performed assessments on age and estimated remaining useful life for critical system components.

Wendel is working with the University to develop concepts for both energy conservation retrofits and replacement of existing central plants, utility distribution systems, and conversion to a zero fossil fuel energy system. In general, the program will replace steam boilers with condensing hot water boilers and heat recovery heat pumps, interconnect buildings into clusters using a Generation 4 low-temperature hot water heating system, and then connect clusters together using a Generation 5 neutral temperature loop. The loop will be scalable and, over time, will interconnect to geothermal well fields, and data centers. This will ultimately phase out the use of fossil fuel boilers. Autoclaves, domestic hot water systems, and other process steam loads will be converted to electric-based equipment over time.

Wendel’s final deliverable will include utility energy modeling, thermal modeling of individual buildings, preliminary concept drawings, field surveys of equipment, equipment selection, bulletized scope of work, Sankey charts showing before and after energy usage and sources, life cycle cost analysis, financial projections, and phasing recommendations over the next 20 years.