Inside Iowa State

Nov. 2, 2007

Go dark to be green

by Erin Rosacker

Saving energy starts with individuals, but current electric usage suggests a lack of employee and student participation in facilities planning and management's energy savings plan. Introduced in the 2002 fiscal year, the plan strives to save $1.5 million annually on energy costs.

"The interesting part is that we did not set a new electric peak this summer, but we are using a record amount of energy. What that means is people are using more energy on a 24-hour basis," said FP&M operations director Dave Miller. "So, it's not just that peak, weird day -- we're just plain using more energy all the time. That indicates to me that we're plugging in and leaving running a lot more stuff than we probably need to."

Most of those 24-hour offenders are doubly inefficient, heating up the air as well as eating up valuable electricity dollars.

"Every one of those electrical devices generates heat," Miller said. "We're heating the buildings with electricity, just by our personal appliances and items like that. Then we consume chilled water to cool the space back down."

According to FP&M estimates, shutting down one computer on nights and weekends can save up to $44 annually. The biggest culprits are laboratory fume hoods, which cost $4,250 each to operate year-round. Those numbers speak volumes to Miller.

"We've always looked at electricity as the indicator of voluntary participation," Miller said. "All the talk about green energy is a part of that. I would certainly like to see more people and more groups on campus get interested in energy because it is the right thing to do. It is a part of the green movement and part of sustainability. Hopefully, something like that can gain momentum, because it does make a huge difference."

Building exemptions

Initially, FP&M's energy savings plan worked -- hitting that $1.5 million goal in each of the first three years. However, requests to exempt buildings from the standard thermostat settings in the winter (68 degrees) and summer (78 degrees) began to multiply. The added heating and cooling costs had a big impact on savings.

Two years ago, FP&M threw out the exemptions, essentially starting over with a clean slate and redeveloping building-specific energy plans. But that didn't stop the vicious cycle, as exemption requests reappeared and dwindled ISU's energy savings to less than $300,000 annually in FY06 and FY07. This year, energy consumption already has put the university $400,000 in the red toward its $1.5 million savings goal, the biggest deficit yet.

"Particularly in the summer, you get to about that third hot day that's a little warm and stuffy and the exemptions just start rolling in," Miller said.

Campus thermostats now are set at 70 degrees for the winter months. Miller gambled that adding those two degrees -- and dialing down two degrees over the summer -- would help keep people comfortable enough to stem the tide of exemption requests.

"I think that has been the case, to a certain degree," he said.

Sticker shock

Miller anticipates an impact on energy savings once the new resource management model, which decentralizes the cost of utilities and assigns it to units across campus, is implemented.

"When we're done with the current fiscal year, the responsibility is going to lie with the people," Miller said. "The good news there is I'm absolutely convinced that when they start getting the actual bills, we're going to see energy conservation like crazy."

More information, including energy conservation tips and frequently asked questions, are online.

"It's still a lot of individual effort and individual actions. People can make a difference and it starts with your own office," Miller said.

"I would certainly like to see more people and more groups on campus get interested in energy because it is the right thing to do. It is a part of the green movement and part of sustainability. Hopefully, something like that can gain momentum, because it does make a huge difference."

Dave Miller, FP&M operations director