Partnerships between schools and energy companies have proven fruitful in making successful pushes toward energy efficiency. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is no stranger to this kind of investment in green power, having worked with electrical utility NSTAR in reducing the energy use of its Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus. Now, the prestigious university has announced that it is continuing its work with the company even further, moving into phase two of their "MIT Efficiency Forward" joint program.

The Boston Globe reports that the school and northeastern utility company had met the project's objective of reducing the Institute's energy usage by 34 million kilowatt-hours between 2010 and 2012, a 15 percent reduction akin to the electrical consumption of 4,500 Massachusetts homes. Due to their ambitious and successful energy savings, MIT and NSTAR have renewed their work together for a second phase, intended to last through 2015, with a new goal of reducing 21 million kilowatt-hours – per year. 

Tilak Subrahmanian, vice president of energy efficiency for NSTAR's parent company, Northeast Utilities, praised the power saving efforts.

"MIT is a leader in setting and achieving aggressive energy savings goals," said Subrahmanian in a statement. "With Efficiency Forward, MIT and NSTAR have set a new standard for partnering with customers that continues to influence other energy-efficiency efforts […] We look forward to working together to achieve our new goals over the next three years."

According to MIT News, the Efficiency Forward initiative has yielded $4.4 million in energy savings and is expected to save a further $2.3 million in the next phase.

Maryland residents interested in working toward owning energy efficient homes to save money on their own electric bills should make an appointment with Maryland home inspectors for an energy audit of their property. This assessment will help homeowners reduce power consumption and, consequently, their energy costs.