RCC installed a geothermal cooling and heating system on campus in 2017. The system
serves four classroom and administration buildings totaling almost 292,000 square
feet and provides savings of almost 83,000 kWh per year. According to ENERGY STAR,
the median site energy use intensity (EUI) for colleges and universities in the US
is 84.3 kBtu/ft2. A 2022 audit 3 of RCC’s system showed that its total EUI is as much
as 30 kBtu/ft2 lower than the median, thanks largely to its geothermal cooling and
heating system. RCC also installed a solar photovoltaic array over one of its parking
lots in 2017. Through a net metering agreement with a national clean energy management
company, RCC receives monetary credit for the energy generated by this array.