Simply Switching Air Filters, Auburn University Reduces Energy Use and Waste

Long one of the South’s leading academic institutions, Auburn University now leads in the drive towards sustainability, as well. Working with Camfil Air Filter company the world’s premier provider of clean air solutions -- Auburn has been able to significantly reduce the costs, waste, and energy use in providing high quality indoor air throughout its Alabama campus. And it did so simply by switching air filters, replacing traditional products with innovative high-efficiency filters from Camfil.

Throughout the country, sustainability has become a priority for institutions and organizations in all sectors. The idea: By using products that require less energy and create less waste, both the environment and budgets benefit. Leading manufacturers like Camfil have been driving this trend through the development of products expressly designed to last longer and use energy more efficiently -- all while providing optimal performance.

Auburn -- which has an enrollment of more than 25,000 students -- partnered with Camfil in 2013 to take a more sustainability-minded approach to air filtration. Simply by switching to Camfil’s high-efficiency filters, several key gains have been realized, easily and quickly.

First, fewer filters need to be purchased each year. “The new filters allow better air flow, require less energy, and last three to four times longer than previous filters,” says Lee Smith, Auburn’s Preventive Maintenance Manager. “In the past, the university consumed between 25,000 and 30,000 filters per year,” he notes. “In fiscal year 2013, we installed only 4,549 filters.”

While Camfil air filters cost more than traditional filters, their less frequent change-outs, combined with their lower energy requirements, result in significant savings over the lifetime of the filters. And by lasting longer, the filters bring other benefits, too. Auburn’s staff, for example, now devotes less time to filter replacement and more time to other maintenance tasks, like aligning pulleys, greasing bearings, and repairing equipment. In effect, the facilities department can do more without spending more on personnel.

At the same time, with fewer filters to replace, less waste is sent to local landfills. Today Auburn is disposing of 15,000 to 25,000 fewer air filters each year.

In recognition of Auburn’s success in sustainability, Camfil presented the school with its 5-Star Energy Award, making Auburn the first major university in the Southeast to receive that designation.

Camfil -- which has long lead the charge for sustainability in the air filtration industry -- works with customers across the globe to help them achieve energy savings while providing optimal indoor air quality. The company leverages a half dozen research centers to develop innovative new air filters that don’t just perform better than traditional models, but have less impact on natural resources and the environment.

Indeed, customers that have switched to Camfil clean air solutions and air filter products have already reduced their HVAC energy costs by 20 percent, their installation costs by 50 percent, and their disposal costs by 70 percent. Those are savings that don’t just benefit users, but the planet. It’s the win-win of sustainability -- and as Auburn’s success demonstrates, it can be achieved now, and far more easily than you might expect.

The world leader in HVAC air filters, Camfil provides clean air solutions for hospitals, hotels, office buildings, educational institutions, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We provide the tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections -- all while lowering total cost of ownership. Camfil customers go green without ever sacrificing performance.

Click here for more information on cost saving case studies. Visit Camfil online at Merchant Circle, http://airfilters.camfilfarr.us or call us toll-free at 888.599.6620.