Southeast New Mexico College installed various renewable and energy efficient technologies that are estimated to save it over $141,000 annually in energy savings and improve its overall energy reliability efforts.

The upgrades that were implemented by Ameresco include interior and exterior LED lighting retrofits across campus, upgrading rooftop units (RTUs), replacing heat pumps and heating hot water coils, condenser evaporative cooling upgrades, updating building controls, improving the building envelope, installing high efficiency transformers, and constructing 977.7 kW-DC of solar photovoltaic covered parking.

“As a newly independent college, SENMC recently finalized its first campus master plan and five-year strategic plan. As a foundation to those plans, we needed to create the best possible environment for our students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Kevin Beardmore, President of Southeast New Mexico College, in a statement. “What started as a distant dream of replacing aging HVAC equipment, providing solar-covered parking for our students, employees, and guests, and ​keeping our energy costs under control has become a reality thanks to our partnership with Ameresco. The project will reduce our campus energy usage and costs, supporting our strategic plan goals related to efficiency, learning, and student success.”

For SENMC, the upgrades will enhance the reliability of facility operations as well as improve the quality of learning and research environments for students and faculty.

Ameresco completed implementation of this comprehensive energy savings project in June 2025 and provided a 20-year energy performance guarantee to SENMC for the project’s energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations.