Efforts at ASU yield energy savings and raise conservation awareness
By ASU News Service

By lowering thermostats, installing energy efficient lighting and turning lights off in empty rooms, Appalachian State University has netted more than $275,000 in energy savings since mid-December.

The energy-saving measures, which included keeping thermostats at 68 degrees in winter and 72 degrees in warmer months, were implemented in response to a mandate for all state agencies to reduce energy use 20 percent by 2012.

It costs an average of $38,000 a day to run campus in terms of electricity, heat and water, according to Michael O’Connor, director of the university’s Physical Plant.

Connor said the majority of savings occurred during the break between semesters, when residence halls were closed and most academic and office buildings operated on a reduced schedule.

Lee Ball, who teaches in the building science program in Appalachian’s Department of Technology and works in the department’s Energy Center, said he’s pleased individuals on campus are implementing energy efficiency measures, but that more need to remember to turn off office lights and shut down computers when they leave work at the end of the day.

O’Connor agrees. “One thing we all could do better is turn off the power supply strip that supplies power to computers and peripherals, like printers, when they aren’t in use,” O’Connor said. “Even when it’s turned off but plugged into the wall outlet, a computer burns 25 watts of electricity. That’s like burning a 25-watt light bulb for 16 hours a day.”

Ball said Appalachian has had better results than many other universities in North Carolina when it comes to student and employee participation in energy conservation. “When I did a quick survey of others schools reporting their savings, Appalachian definitely was above the average,” he said.

Turning off lights when leaving a room also is an important energy savings practice, particularly in older campus buildings that have inefficient lighting. The university received a $30,000 grant to replace inefficient lighting in the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center and I.G. Greer Hall, buildings that cost $60,000 a year to light. O’Connor said the changes would reduce energy costs to about $40,000 a year.

The university expects to receive a $5 million grant that will be used to replace inefficient lights, install motion sensor lights in bathrooms, and upgrade HVAC equipment and controls in 10 campus buildings. Those measures are expected to yield more than $500,000 a year in energy savings. “The savings will pay for all energy savings investments associated with the contract over a 12-year period,” O’Connor said. The project would begin in summer and be complete by fall semester.

O’Connor said there are two important components to achieving further energy savings – actions of the energy provider and the energy consumer.

“My job is to provide conditioned air, heat and lighting as cheaply as possible, and I do that by making sure we have the most energy efficient equipment available,” O’Connor said. “It is also important that the consumer on campus think about their energy-use habits and what they can do to trim energy use, such as turning off lights and computers and adjusting the thermostat in the winter and summer. And if you see something that doesn’t look smart energy wise, let us know so we can investigate.”

Other energy-savings measures are in progress or being planned on campus.

The university’s Sustainability Committee, comprised of students, faculty and staff, will conduct a greenhouse gas inventory on campus to get baseline data that can be used to measure future improvements.

Solar water heating panels have been installed on Frank Residence Hall to supply hot water to the residents.

Solar water heating panels also will be installed on Plemmons Student Union.

Photovoltaic panels installed last summer in front of Raley Hall have the capacity to convert solar energy into approximately 5,250 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. A wind turbine to be installed this summer behind the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center on campus will have the potential to generate 150,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

Future construction on campus will address energy conservation through LEED certification, as well as the more stringent American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) requirements.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building program that addresses site selection, water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality and conservation.