Energy Production, Distribution and Management
All main campus energy is managed through the Central Heating Plant (CHP) business unit.
This includes production and distribution of steam to meet all thermal energy demand, and production of an electrical co-generation system to meet about 20 percent of annual electrical energy demand. The balance of electrical energy demand is provided by Green Mountain Power.
Middlebury owns, operates and maintains all primary electrical distribution systems on the main campus. Annual fuel sources for steam production include 20,000 tons of wood chips (65%) and 100,000 mcf of natural gas (31%),
The CHP business unit includes seven FTE for core operations. An energy and technology manager provides additional support for the CHP operation, and facility energy management and control. Effective biomass plant operations are a significant contribution to Middlebury’s carbon neutrality goal.