January 15, 2001
UCSC trims energy use; more conservation sought
By Louise Donahue
Fears of rolling power blackouts have prompted campuswide orders to shut off space
heaters and any unused equipment, and turn down thermostats. But other ways the campus
can conserve electricity may not be so obvious.
Early efforts at conservation have already made a difference on campus, said Robert
Dunn, energy systems engineer at UCSC.
Dunn analyzed power use for Thursday, the first day word was sent out to the campus
to conserve electricity. "We saved about 300 kilowatts of load off the state
grid, which is about 5 percent of our campus use."
As conservation efforts expand, two areas to think about are lighting and computers,
said Dunn.
Campus buildings are equipped with energy-efficient fluorescent lights, but people
who find fluorescent lights too bright for their offices have brought in less-efficient
lamps using incandescent or halogen bulbs. Torchiere-style floor lights are particularly
inefficient, Dunn said.
What many people don't realize is that most fluorescent lights in UCSC offices can
be adjusted to be less bright. Campus electricians will come out and lower the lighting
level--a procedure known as delamping--to whatever level is desired, said Dunn. To
have such a change made, call (831) 459-4444.
Computer use is another factor. "People should turn off their computers when
they leave," Dunn said, adding that those who need to leave computers on to
allow backups should at least shut off their computer monitors. "Screen savers
do not save energy," he said.
Most computers on campus could meet the federal Environmental Protection Agency's
Energy Star conservation guidelines, but companies usually ship computers with these
features disabled, said Dunn. "They come that way out of the box." While
there have been efforts to get computer manufacturers to sell computers with those
features activated, that job will be up to network administrators for now.
Refrigerators are one more area of concern. "Refrigerators use a lot of energy,
probably more than space heaters," Dunn said, suggesting that any refrigerators
not in use be turned off and that refrigerators be shared when possible.
For those who lived through the energy crisis of the 1970s, some of the energy-saving
efforts recall the days when then-President Jimmy Carter donned a sweater and encouraged
Americans to lower their thermostats. "We've just gotten lazy over the years,"
Dunn said. "We need to go back to where we were in the '70s. Those old ideas
are coming back."
The university wants thermostats set at 68 during the cold months, especially in
portable units, which use electric heat and are often not well insulated. Other campus
buildings use natural gas, which has become very expensive and should also be conserved.
