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Individual Actions
It is encouraging that there are Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) which have immediate payback. These are based on individual awareness and actions. As individuals develop good energy habits it also sharpens their awareness of energy use (and waste) and has a snowball effect. These ECMs are generally pretty simple. They don't cost anything. They don't take months of design and construction time to implement. Items in this category include:
- Turn off the lights in classrooms, offices or restrooms when the rooms are not occupied and especially after the last use for the day. The energy saved by doing so will far outweigh the slight reduction in lamp life due to increased cycling.
With over 9 million square feet on our campus, turning off lights for just one additional hour per day could reduce our annual energy costs by over $200,000.
- Use desk lamps for “task lighting” and turn off the overhead lights. In addition to saving energy, this change sometimes creates a more comfortable work environment.
- Shut off computers at the end of each day.
Even in “sleep” mode computers use 50 – 300 watts, depending on age, etc. Turning off computers each night could reduce our annual energy cost by over $40,000. This small amount of cycling does not significantly affect computer life.
- Keep laboratory fume hood sashes at the lowest possible position.
- Reduce the number of fume hoods in use by consolidating experiments, chemical storage, etc.
- Shut off unnecessary electrical loads such as radios, coffee pots, fans, space heaters, clocks, etc.
- Minimize electrical and natural gas loads by reducing hot water usage, reducing the time clothes dryers are run after clothes are dry, etc.
- Wear warmer clothing, socks/shoes, etc. to remain comfortable in varying conditions.
- Growth chambers, environmental chambers, greenhouses, coolers, refrigerators, etc. Shut these down when they are not actively supporting a project or experiment - call Facilities Operations at 5-9000 for assistance. Consolidate projects or experiments into one chamber where possible so we get the highest use out of the energy purchased.
- Windows. It is very difficult to heat (or cool) the earth's atmosphere using our Campus HVAC systems! However, when you walk around Campus it appears we are trying to do that! There are times that systems problems necessitate windows being opened to make a room useable. Please do not open windows unnecessarily; If it is essential to open a window, please shut it as soon as possible. Do not leave rooms with the windows open.
It is obvious that all of these are incrementally small contributions. Shutting lights off in a 12' x 12' office one hour more per day all year would total around $4 in savings. The power of these efforts is in the continual involvement and support by the entire campus community. That 144 sq.ft. room is an unrecognized but vital part of a 9 million sq. ft. campus; that $4 contribution is an unrecognized but vital part of a $240,000 potential savings.
To summarize:
“If it’s not being used, turn it off. If it is in use, keep it on for the minimum time necessary.”
If we as individuals make a personal commitment to develop good (or better) energy habits ourselves, that attitude and example will eventually permeate the Campus community. And the wonderful thing about it? It doesn't cost anything. It doesn't require months of planning and construction. It just takes that little "tick" of consciousness as we leave our offices to shut off the lights or other equipment; to shut off our computers at the end of the day; to be conscious as we walk through our "domains" of energy waste and take a minute to shut off lights in empty rooms and educate other individuals. To create an "attitude" about energy waste even (or especially?) in small increments.
Will we?