Edmonds College, Other Businesses Saving with CSEM

Snohomish County PUD is dedicated to helping everybody save energy and money! Whether you’re a brand-new small business or Boeing, when organizations save money on energy, they can invest more in what matters most. Through the PUD’s Commercial Strategic Energy Management (CSEM) program, local businesses, schools and institutions are finding new ways to reduce energy costs, improve operations and strengthen the communities they serve.

One of the program’s biggest success stories is Edmonds College. Through its participation in CSEM, the college reduced electricity use by more than 512,000 kilowatt-hours in a single year, resulting in nearly $41,000 in annual energy savings. Those savings were the largest achieved by any participant in the CSEM program to date and earned Edmonds College recognition for both Greatest Energy Use Reduction and Most Engaged Executive Sponsor in the program.

The impact goes beyond utility bills. By lowering operating expenses, organizations like Edmonds College, the Lakewood School District and City of Lynnwood can better manage costs and focus resources on their core missions. For educational institutions, that can mean directing more dollars toward students, programs, staffing and facilities rather than energy expenses. Similar benefits can help businesses, healthcare organizations and municipalities maintain affordability while improving long-term sustainability.

“One of my favorite parts of this program is helping customers discover savings opportunities they might not have realized were available,” said Kelsey Lewis, a Program Manager at the PUD that helps oversee the CSEM cohorts. “When organizations save energy and reduce costs, they can reinvest those dollars into serving our community. It’s incredibly rewarding to work alongside customers and help them build practices that create benefits year after year.”

The PUD’s CSEM program helps customers identify low- and no-cost opportunities to reduce energy use through operational changes, employee engagement and improved energy management practices. Organizations often discover that meaningful savings can come from simple changes, such as adjusting HVAC schedules to match building occupancy, encouraging employees to turn off lights and equipment when not in use and optimizing lighting systems to improve efficiency and comfort.

Participants receive personalized coaching, technical support, energy assessments, workshops and financial incentives to support their efforts. The goal is to create lasting energy-saving habits that become part of an organization’s culture rather than relying solely on equipment upgrades.

To learn more about the CSEM program, and to express interest in joining the next cohort, sign up for a future informational session through the PUD’s CSEM webpage. The next cohort begins in October 2026.