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A small university campus expects to save $1 million annually on its energy bill and satisfy 98% of its energy needs through a new high-efficiency, 1 MW cogeneration system that was underwritten with a $708,000 award from Sempra Energy’s Los Angeles-based Southern California Gas Co. utility. The rebate was part of SoCal’s state-authorized $54 million, four-year self-generation program.

Companies from all sectors of the gas industry were able to save a total of 42 Bcf of gas, or about $126 million at a gas value of $3/Mcf, by reducing methane emissions from unit operations and equipment leaks, according to annual results recently released on the Natural Gas STAR Program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA said the savings surpassed the STAR program’s 40 Bcf goal for 2001.

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s supplier-choice program savedparticipating customers in Washington and Allegheny counties about$1.8 million during the 1997-98 winter heating season, the companysaid. Paula Frauen, manager of energy services, said the 37,000residential and small commercial customers enrolled in the programeach saved about $9 a month, 8.6% less than what they would havepaid had they bought gas from Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania.