Facilities Management & Planning
For SOU Faculty and Staff
Energy conservation tips for faculty and staff on campus
Computers/Electronics
- Turn off your monitor when unused for 15 minutes.
- Turn off your computer when you leave for the day.
- Newer electronic devices draw power even while turned-off. This "stand-by" or phantom power mode typically draws as much power as when the device is powered-on. A good way to counteract this unneeded power consumption is to put your electronic devices on a power strip and use the power strip as a central "turn-off" point.
- Screensavers do not save electricity! They can keep your computer’s CPU “awake”, preventing the power management tool from putting your computer into its energy saving mode.
Click here for Computer Power Management directions.
- Ask for products with the Energy Star label when purchasing a new computer or any other electronic device for your department. See www.Energystar.gov for more information.
- Remember to shut off externally powered computer accessories: speakers, external drives, etc.
Lights
- If you have an incandescent task light, convert it to a compact fluorescent light bulb.
- Turn off lights when leaving office overnight, or for extended periods of time.
Heating and Cooling
- Dress appropriate to the season and keep thermostats at 68 degrees in the winter and 75 degrees for air-conditioned spaces in the summer.
- During the heating season, open blinds, drapes and curtains to let sun in or, if no sun, close them to keep the heat in.
- During the cooling season close blinds, drapes and curtains to block the sun.
- Consider scheduling off-hour building use ahead of time, so that temperature setbacks can be utilized by building operations as much as possible.
Consider This!
- Energy conservation efforts at other universities have reduced energy consumption by 40%, leading to millions of dollars saved annually.
- Each employee can make important contributions to energy conservation. If each person at SOU
(≈6,000 people) saved a penny’s worth of electricity daily, it would result in savings to SOU of nearly $22,000 a year and prevent the release of hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Each of the following simple activities will save at least one penny:
- Turn off your computer and monitor for one (1) hour.
- Turn off a standard desk lamp for three (3) hours.
- Three and a half (3.5) hours of operating that compact fluorescent light bulb instead of an incandescent bulb.
- Approximately 10-15% of SOU's power usage is under discretionary control of the building occupants. That means you! If we faithfully use these energy conservation measures, combined with personal efforts and ideas, we can easily save 10% percent of SOU's electrical and natural gas energy.
