Mayo Civic Center to Kick Off Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Lighting and facility improvements part of Mayo Civic Center’s environmental stewardship strategy

ROCHESTER, MINN. (June 7, 2017) –The Mayo Civic Center announced today that it will soon begin high-performance improvements in partnership with McKinstry, a design-build firm specializing in energy retrofits. Through the use of the State of Minnesota, Department of Commerce Guaranteed Energy Savings Program (GESP), this project will save the Civic Center nearly $185,000 in annual energy costs.

The project includes a comprehensive lighting upgrade to LED, improved lighting controls, a retrofit of the audio system and new building controls. Each of these improvements will save energy and reduce the carbon emissions of the facility, and lengthen the life of the building’s infrastructure. The project will commence in June 2017 and will be completed in Fall 2017.

The city-owned building entered into a GESP (Guaranteed Energy Savings Project) with McKinstry to develop and implement facility improvements for the Mayo Civic Center to create a more energy-efficient and cost-effective facility. The project will also create a more consistent and comfortable environment for the over 300,000 visitors it hosts each year.

The result of these changes is expected to reduce the Civic Center’s energy use by 28 percent and annual energy costs by $184,494. These energy savings reduce the facility’s carbon emissions by 1,144 metric tons each year, which is equivalent to the energy use of 121 US homes for an entire year or 2,741,278 miles driven by an average US car.

The project also qualified for $110,120 in utility rebates from Rochester Public Utilities.

“We applaud the City of Rochester and the Mayo Civic Center for their investment in state-of-the-art, sustainable infrastructure,” said Matt DeMeuse, regional director for McKinstry. “This type of environmental stewardship benefits not only Rochester but our global community as well.”

“It’s important for a building of this size to be conscientious of its energy use,” said Andy Krogstad, Mayo Civic Center’s Managing Director. “McKinstry’s energy audit explained that there were opportunities to make improvements to our pre-existing venues’ lighting and HVAC systems.”

The improvements will be made in the Auditorium, Arena, North Lobby and Exhibit Hall.

“It makes sense financially and environmentally to implement these changes, and we are pleased to get started on this important project,” Krogstad said.

“Rochester and the Mayo Civic Center join a growing number of public institutions that are harvesting the benefits from our Guaranteed Energy Savings Program,” said Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman, whose agency includes the state energy office that administers the program. “GESP promotes public-private partnerships to pay for the upfront costs of energy efficiency upgrades with future energy and maintenance cost savings. It’s a great opportunity to improve public buildings with lower energy use and pollution while saving money and creating jobs.”

About Mayo Civic Center

The Rochester, Minn. Mayo Civic Center is Southern Minnesota’s premier destination for local, regional, national and international conventions, entertainment, social and sporting opportunities. Serving as a vital economic generator for the region, Mayo Civic Center focuses on providing an exceptional experience by delivering world-class service, and high-quality, versatile facilities.

About McKinstry

McKinstry is a full-service, design-build-operate-and-maintain (DBOM) firm specializing in consulting, construction, energy and facility services. The firm’s innovative, integrated delivery methodology provides clients with a single point of accountability that drives waste and redundancy out of the design/build process. With more than 1,900 professional staff and trades people throughout the United States and operations in more than 15 states, McKinstry advocates collaborative, sustainable solutions designed to ensure occupant comfort, improve systems efficiency, reduce facility operational costs and optimize profitability “For The Life of Your Building.”

About Guaranteed Energy Savings Program

The Guaranteed Energy Savings Program is a procurement and financing mechanism that assists state agencies, local units of government, school districts and institutions of higher education with the development, implementation and ongoing measurement & verification of energy efficiency and/or renewable energy projects. Participants gain access to technical assistance from Commerce, pre-qualified Energy Services Companies, Master Contract, selection and procurement documents, and GESP staff oversight for each phase of the project that can last up to 25 years. The intent of the program is to maximize job creation and operational cost savings through investment in public facilities.

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