Authors: Kristine L. Bradof, staff, GEM Center for Science and Environmental Outreach; Maria K. Stoneberg, student, Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Facilities Management maintains detailed power and heating cost avoidance records for the Michigan Tech campus, which document savings of $10.3 million over 22 years through energy conservation. MTU’s overall annual utility costs in FY 99-00 totaled $1.47 per gross square foot (GSF) of building space, which compares favorably with Carnegie-Mellon University. However, the amount of power and heat conserved has decreased in recent years, at a time when utility costs are rising significantly. Taivalkoski’s “lights left on” survey of campus buildings in early fall 2001 found 5,207 lights left on in unoccupied areas at an estimated cost of $22,098 per 30-week academic year. After Taivalkoski hired a student to shut off lights each night in seven buildings and asked employees, through a series of articles in Tech Topics, to shut off lights and other electrical devices when not in use, the lights left on dropped to 2,515 by late January, representing a 30-week projected savings of $11,527, or 52% of the wasted energy identified in the survey. An ESC energy waste reduction experiment documented a 20% reduction in Dillman Hall electricity use over the past year, saving $12,600 in that building alone (see details in appendix).

Lighting is a large category of energy use. Just three fluorescent lights left on continuously for a year costs Carnegie-Mellon $175, but turning lights off when leaving for the day reduces that cost to $46/yr. UM recommends energy efficient "task lighting" such as desk lamps to provide light only where needed.

UM estimates that turning off ventilation and reducing heating by 10oF for 8 hours per day, when buildings are mostly unoccupied, would reduce energy costs by more than 10%, saving $35,000 in a typical 100,000 square foot building. At RPI an Energy Awareness Program launched in 1992 avoided more than 13 million kWh of electricity use in its first 8 years and saved $13,450,000, despite the addition of several thousand computers and peripherals. RPI has an EPA Energy Star Awareness program for utilizing power management features on all office equipment and purchasing Energy Star compliant equipment. Furthermore, their Water Conservation Initiative has saved $756,912 while conserving nearly 180 million gallons of water since 1995.

Computer operation accounts for about 12 percent of all UM electricity use. EPA estimates that most PCs are not being used most of the time they are running, and 30-40% are left running continuously. After 16 minutes, the energy needed to run the computer outweighs the start-up energy. The life of a monitor is related to the amount of time it is on, not the number of start and stop cycles. Screen savers are unnecessary energy wasters. The best screen saver is simply turning off the monitor! Computers and other office and laboratory equipment can be shut off nights and weekends when not in use. The energy to run a 300-watt computer/monitor/printer system operating 24/7 costs about $200 annually, but the cost falls to $50 when run 40 hrs/wk. UM recommends buying Energy Star equipment, which uses about 30% less energy when running and an additional 50% less energy in “sleep” mode. Carnegie-Mellon's web site notes that turning 500 CRT monitors off after work and on weekends, even if computers are left running for network backups, will save nearly $16,000 annually. Studies by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory show that shutting off a modern computer up to three times daily instead of running it continuously does not reduce—and may even prolong—the useful life of the hard drive and other omponents, contrary to a lingering perception based on experience with earlier computer technology.

University of Missouri—Rolla began developing an Environmental Management System in 1997 and became the first university in the U.S. to receive ISO 14001 certification for a campus-wide EMS in June 2001. The 8-member EMS Advisory Committee includes a full-time EMS coordinator.

Committees and environmental coordinators are often vital for implementing energy conservation strategies. At Carnegie-Mellon, an Environmental Practices Task Force submitted a draft Environmental Practices Policy to the Administration in 1997, after which a Green Practices Committee (faculty, staff, students) was established in 1998 to develop a more comprehensive waste reduction and energy conservation program. Carnegie-Mellon hired a full-time staff environmental coordinator in 2000, in addition to a staff energy manager. At Rennselaer Polytechnic University, the Greening of Rensselaer Initiative employs both a Greening Coordinator and an Energy & Water Conservation Coordinator (full-time student co-op positions). The University Committee for a Sustainable Campus (UCSC) at Michigan State University has a director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, who is leading a new course in fall 2002, "Topics in Sustainability: Walking the Talk at the University We Call Home." This course will begin to conduct a campus environmental assessment. UCSC and Physical Plant staff have already prepared a report, "Development of an Energy Assessment Methodology for University Academic Buildings: Case Study of the Natural Resources Building, Michigan State University." MSU also sponsored "Energy: It's Not All You Save. A one-day conference devoted to presenting current energy conservation options to everyone interested in Saving Money while Preserving Our Environment."

Carnegie-Mellon is sending a strong environmental message with its Wind Energy Initiative, which includes constructing a wind turbine and committing to wind power for five percent of the university’s total electricity needs. Even though wind power costs about 2 cents more per kWh, C-M has made the commitment to

1. demonstrate the university’s recognition of the importance of developing renewable, less environmentally damaging sources of energy,
2. provide educational opportunities for students, faculty, and staff, and
3. help support wind power generation in western Pennsylvania. Carnegie-Mellon’s is the largest single retail purchaser of wind energy, equivalent to the energy required to run 650 homes for a year. The Green Practices Committee plans a “university challenge” for conservation efforts to cover the extra cost of the wind power, while reducing overall energy consumption.

1. Minimize energy costs through reduced use, mainly by elimination of waste.
   The ESC is willing to work with appropriate channels to encourage the reduction of the school’s environmental footprint. Realistic short-term goals include, but are not limited to the following:
• Encourage individual responsibility for shutting off lights and equipment in unoccupied areas
• Use power management features; manually shut off monitors for computers that must stay on
• Install motion sensors in classrooms, laboratories, and restrooms where lights are often left on
• Develop incentives for reporting problems and suggesting or making improvements
• Become an EPA Energy Star partner
• Create internships and co-ops to support beneficial programs
2. Develop an Educational Campaign
   The ESC can develop an upbeat campus educational campaign on a theme such as "Going Green to Save Green" to emphasize how individuals practicing conservation can save the University money, with the savings funding energy efficiency equipment and programs. This campaign will have many benefits, such as increasing environmental education on campus and enhancing MTU’s environmental credibility.
3. Adopt an official University energy policy
   The ESC encourages the University to adopt an official energy policy to encourage more efficient practices among students, faculty, and staff. Leadership from the administration sends a far stronger message to the University community than any ESC recommendations. Good examples of environmental policies endorsed by upper-level administration can be found at the State University of New York at Buffalo's web site, wings.buffalo.edu/ubgreen/content/policies.html.

Contact Information

If you have general questions or comments, contact:
Shalini Suryanarayana (shalini@mtu.edu) and please put
"ESC Question/Comment" in the subject line.

Electronic mail

If you have any questions on the recycling program at Michigan Tech: recyclinginfo-l@mtu.edu

General Information: shalini@mtu.edu