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Case study
Tallahassee Community College
Tallahassee, Florida
Community College Lowers Utility Costs,
Addresses Sustainability Issues
Tallahassee Community College (TCC), founded in 1966, serves more than 14,000 students
in three northern Florida counties. Although college facility staff had worked to reduce utility
costs, a rate increase meant they needed to find other means to pay for the increased utility
costs. Additionally, student population growth meant it was time to update the aging campus
infrastructure – and campus leaders wanted to show their commitment to the environment
through a sustainable approach.
A performance contract with Johnson Controls that guarantees an 18 percent energy reduction
is helping fund $2.6M of campus renovations. Early returns are even better than expected,
with a 21 percent lower overall utility cost in the first year and 24 percent in the second year.
Facing Growing Challenges
TCC has experienced tremendous expansion as a growing number of students attend
two-year Florida community colleges, then complete their academic requirements at
a four-year state university. The Tallahassee campus alone has 15 buildings, with some
900,000 square feet of classroom and office space.
A capital building program in the early 2000’s helped the campus address space needs,
but older buildings desperately needed upgrades. TCC had done all it could do on its
own to reduce utilities and was already operating well below the State Community College
utility average of $2.06/sq ft. With declining PECO dollars, increased utility rates in 2006,
and diminishing utility rebates, the college knew it needed a broader plan to fund
infrastructure needs.
“Seeing a 24 percent reduction in utility costs for the College in the second year of the
program guarantees that we are going to continue to be good fiscal and environmental
stewards; thereby allowing us to allocate more dollars toward student success,” said
President Jim Murdaugh.

“We know about the environmental
benefits of energy efficiency. But this
project sends a powerful message to
students about the financial impact of
using resources more efficiently –
especially since the savings keep
students’ costs lower overall.”
Dr. Teresa Smith,
Vice President for
Administrative Services & CFO
Through its long partnership with
Johnson Controls, Tallahassee
Community College has been able to
keep energy costs in line while providing
comfortable building temperatures.
“In the face of enormous financial
constraints, we’re able to address
critical infrastructure needs and
positively impact our learning
environments, all without spending
additional funds.”
Tony Stallworth,
TCC Director of Facilities,
Planning & Construction
Printed on recycled paper.
©2009 Johnson Controls, Inc. Printed in USA CSST-08-011 (Rev. 2/11)
www.johnsoncontrols.com
Environmental
and Infrastructure
Improvements
TCC selected Johnson Controls using
a Florida Department of Management
Services Term Contract for Energy
Services. After a thorough audit,
Johnson Controls developed a
performance contract designed to save
nearly $380,000 per year through a
series of upgrades to its control system,
lighting system and water system,
as well as updating its IT network
computer power management.
A performance contract is a means
by which higher education institutions
make environmental, infrastructure,
energy and operational improvements,
using guaranteed financial savings
to cover project costs. The College
financed the energy savings contract
and used funds from Capital Outlay
and Debt Service Funds to repay
the loan.
All the renovations were finished within
a year with as minimal disruption as
possible to the campus. The project
costs will be paid back through savings
on energy bills for 10 years. After the
costs are repaid, TCC can continue to
use the savings for other projects.
21 Percent Savings in
One Year
At the end of the first year, a required
annual reconciliation report indicated
the performance contract had saved
TCC $392,077, 21 percent over the
previous year’s utility costs. The figures
are especially impressive as TCC
facilities have increased in size with
the addition of the new parking garage
and a new online learning center.
TCC improvements include:
• Plumbing and irrigation retrofits,
which reduce water and sewer use
• Building and parking lot lighting
retrofits, which improve light levels
while reducing energy use
• An IT network computer power
management program–UPS System
• Continuous re-commissioning of
TCC’s building controls system
• New chiller at TCC’s Florida Public
Safety Institute that reduces energy
use 40% over the old chiller
The Florida College
System reporting of
results
According to “The Florida College
System Response to 10% Energy
Reduction Goal” report, TCC has the
lowest kBtu/sqft/yr of the 28 colleges
in the state. TCC’s kBtu is 33.8
compared to the state average of 71.0,
running at about half the cost. This
translates to $.94/sq ft, compared to
the average of $1.86/sq ft.
Further TCC reduced their kBtu/sqft/yr
31% from the 2007-08 baseline.
Students Benefit
Students on campus are demonstrating
their own commitment, inspired by the
campus greening project. Members of
the Engineering Club are developing
ways to use solar energy to power
cam pus vehicles. And the college’s
Ecotourism and Green Guide classes
are filled with students eager to learn
how green collar jobs are helping the
environment while providing skills
for workers.
Strong Partnership
with Johnson Controls
For more than 40 years, Tallahassee
Community College has relied
on Johnson Controls to provide
comfortable building temperatures
while curtailing energy costs. The
Fortune 58 company has become a
valuable partner in achieving these
objectives for both new construction
and renovation projects.