Facilities Management Services, a subset of the Physical Plant, is working to conserve energy on campus and implement strategies that will benefit the university.
"Energy conservation measures are put in place to reduce energy consumption and reduce utility bills which will reduce maintenance cost to the university," said Sarah Barrett, manager of energy conservation and utilities.
There are variety ways to conserve energy in the tunnels and across campus. "One of the methods used across campus is night set back. Lights will drop back to emergency lighting, and some of our larger mechanical equipment is turned back as well. All energy conservation methods consider the type and use of each building," Barrett said.
Some methods include demand control ventilation, retro-commissioning, water conservation and more. Other measures that are in place include House Bill Phase I and Phase II, initiatives dedicated to energy conversion. Phase III is expected to be enacted in the future. Fourteen percent of consumption savings were achieved, according to Wright's State Energy Management overview page, because of these plans.
“The university is currently in the process of an energy audit of all buildings," said Barrett. “This reviews all equipment for life analysis, overall building program review from our automation systems, air balance of the building and retro-commissioning of all updates, renovations and projects."
Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) tend to vary by utility and do not necessarily extend to the tunnels, as they get measured separately, "Each section is fed by an attached building," according to Barrett. Energy conservation measures are different all-around campus as some ECM's are more impactful from building to building based on use and the utility load of the building."
"Energy conservation is a campus initiative. If any students would like to make ECM project suggestions, we would welcome the feedback," Barrett said.
