The University of Massachusetts-Amherst has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for simultaneously producing electricity and useful thermal energy from a single energy source.

The EPA gave UMass its Energy Star Award for operating a 14-megawatt combined heat and power system. The central heating plant, which began operation in 2008, is part of an initiative by UMass to reduce fuel consumption and minimize its environmental footprint.

Regional EPA administrator Curt Spalding said the combined technology conserves energy and also reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants.

The combined cycle facility, which generates electricity and steam, uses natural gas and oil. The system produces nearly all of the electric and steam demand for a campus of more than 200 buildings. (AP)