Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter of Fresno

Archives for August 2018

EX Alumni Energize Chapter House with Solar Summer of 2018

Sigma Chi Fraternity at CSU Fresno has completed the installation of solar panels that will serve the chapter house for the next 30 years.  The system includes 135 panels mounted on a solar structure that will also serve as shaded parking.  Included underneath the structure is additional security lighting.

The system will produce a maximum output of 42 kilowatts per hour and is sized to offset 97% of the chapter house’s $17,700 electrical cost each year.  The cost savings will be used by the Sigma Chi House Corporation to provide amenities and maintenance that will help give the undergraduate brothers the best possible fraternity experience.  The solar installation was donated by Fresno State Sigma Chi alumni.

The first solar powered Sig house in North America is ours at Fresno State

The cost of the solar installation was $177,388.  The decision to place the solar panels on a structure instead of on the roof added 47% to the cost.  However, an analysis concluded that the structure solution was more cost-effective than the alternative because of the added cost to re-roof during the life of the system.

Historically, electric rates in California have escalated an average of 4% annually, and assuming this will be similar in the future, the payback will be 8.6 years.  Over the thirty-year life of the system, it will generate a positive cash flow of over $890,000 adjusted for the inflation of electric rates.  This is more than five times the original investment.  The project was not eligible for tax credits or subsides.

The official dedication was held on Saturday, August 4, 2018 at the chapter house.  All Sigma Chi undergraduates and alumni were invited with about sixty brothers attending.

The Sigma Chi chapter house at Fresno State is the first “Sig House” in North America to have a solar installation that is sized to offset most of its energy costs.  It  is the only one out of 244 chapters.  But there is more!  The Sigma Chi Foundation has told us that ours is “the first Greek-letter campus housing to have solar efficient energy.”  If you add up all of the fraternities and sororities in North America, this is a feat for which Epsilon Eta should be proud.

New Solar System is Dedicated to Steve Heinrichs August 2018

On August 4, 2018 the solar installation was dedicated to Steve Heinrichs (CSUF 65-F) who entered the Chapter Eternal on September 4, 2016.  Steves’ wife, Dorothy, attended the dedication as the guest of honor.  Steve served as quaestor and consul while he was an undergraduate at Epsilon Eta, and after graduation he served briefly as Grand Quaestor and was Assistant Executive Secretary from 1969 to 1971.  Through the years he also served on several boards at Sigma Chi Headquarters.  His many achievements as a brother of Sigma Chi and outside the fraternity have been acknowledged by his earning awards such as Order of Constantine (1988), CSUF Top Dog Craig School of Business (2008), Significant Sig (2010), and the CSUF Foundation Award (2014).  Steve was one of three Sigs from Epsilon Eta to be honored as both Significant Sig and Order of Constantine.  The other two were Phil Sanchez and Tony Flores.

Photos were taken before construction began, and more were taken during and after completion of the project.  A drone photographer was commissioned to make a short video on August 4 which was given to the undergraduates.  They have posted it on social media and are using it as a recruitment tool.

The photos that chronicled the solar project, other improvements made to the house during the summer and the dedication ceremony were made into a photo book.  The photo book was used by the undergraduates as another recruitment tool.

The best photos and the video were given to the director of communications at CSU Fresno.  The university highlighted the project in several of its online publications and in its semi-annual printed magazine.  They also prepared a press release which was distributed to all media in the Fresno area including TV stations.

Two Electric Vehicle Chargers are Installed at Chapter House

Two electric vehicle chargers were added adjacent to the parking lot below the solar structure.  They are for the use of all undergraduates, and there will be no charge for the power.

It is estimated that by 2025, 25% of all automobile buyers in North America will at least consider buying an all-electric vehicle, and that is the year that purchase price parity for gas and electric vehicles should be reached.  The chargers will provide another reason for prospects to join Sigma Chi.

Sham Batth (F-17) charges his plug-in BMW i8 at one of the chargers.  Two undergraduate brothers have electric vehicles.