The flip of a couple switches generated thundering applause and shouts of, “That’s one small step for man …,” as the Cates Avenue steam plant was officially shut down for the start of massive renovations.

The shutdown was part of the ceremony Friday afternoon marking the start of demolition and renovation, which began Monday.

According to Charlie Leffler, vice chancellor for finance and business, these changes are the result of extensive planning. He said the initiative is not solely to make the University more environmentally green — it is expected to save the University a lot of money.

“It’s kind of a win-win-win proposition for the University,” Leffler said.  ”This project deals on its own nickel, so to speak. This way, we aren’t drawing on other renovation and repair dollars that we get … which we might instead be using on other projects on campus rather than using it on infrastructure.”

Instead of using money from the University, Damian Lallathin, project manager and 1997 graduate from N.C. State’s mechanical engineering program, said the funding came as a result of a law that allowed money for energy-saving projects to be borrowed and then paid back.

“This project was given to me two years ago to manage the schedule, budget and design. A couple of years ago we switched to performance contracting when the state budget problems started happening and we realized we weren’t going to get any funding,” said Lallathin. “At around the same time, a new law was passed that allowed us to borrow money under the synergy-savings type method — that is, if you can create something to save money, you can borrow the money as long as you pay it back within a certain 20-year limit.”

According to Lallathin, Monday’s start to the demolition is only one step in the project.

“The whole project will have multiple design milestones where we will submit the foundation, structure, [mechanical, electrical, plumbing] build-out,” Lallathin said. “After that, and after the co-generation plant is up and running, we will start paying the loan back and the second major part of the project, which is the second steam plant, will begin construction.”

The co-generation plant will generate electricity and useable heat.

The plans for the remainder of the project were made available to all present at the groundbreaking ceremony. Jenny Benedick, architectural engineer for the university architects office, said she found the plans interesting.

“These plans show a definite step in the right direction,” Benedick said. “I’m glad N.C. State is working to be on the cutting edge of going forward with this kind of new technology.”

Leffler said this will not be the last of the University’s structural renovations designed to save green, both environmentally and economically.

“We’re seeing a lot of renovations going on right now to make the University more sustainable. There’s a 13-building renovation project going on in several facilities, where they are tackling modifications that will do the same kind of thing, which is pay for themselves,” Leffler said. “There’s going to be another round of that in some of our older buildings where we will upgrade the control systems, which will allow us to use the electricity we have much more efficiently and reduce the amount we use.”