IU Physical Plant looks to conserve energy on campus

Sleepy eyes and sticky doughnuts are only two results of IU Physical Plant's electrical load shedding plan. Throughout campus, many attempts are being made to conserve energy such as shutting off lights, air conditioners and lowering thermostats settings. These summertime practices could cause temporary inconveniences but ultimately are working to conserve energy and avoid a rolling blackout.\nEnergy companies, such as those in California, are using rolling blackouts to avoid a complete power outage across an extensive area of land. They do this by shutting down power to certain areas of a city or town for two to four-hour time blocks on rotating cycles. \n"Rolling blackouts are the choice of last resort for utility," a Cinergy/PSI representative said. "We do not anticipate having them this summer."\nCharlie Matson, the Special Projects Engineer at the Physical Plant, describes IU at "Level A load shedding." They are limiting the amount of air conditioning and fan blowing in buildings and setting all the thermostats at 78 degrees.\n"If the air conditioner is set at 78 and you have a fan that blows on you, it will feel plenty comfortable," Matson said. "It only works if you're there and (it's) blowing against your skin."\nBut journalism professor Paul Voakes said, even with the fans, the heat can be a challenge.\n"We're trying to make due with the fans," he said. "It's a little bit harder to teach though with the humidity because everyone's energy seems to be sapped."\nThe heat is also felt beyond the classrooms.\nMary Frohliger, the head cashier at Sugar and Spice in the Memorial Union, kept a thermometer out to keep tabs on the temperature last Wednesday. The red dial stretched past the last numbered mark and estimated the shop to be 86. Frohliger said that heat compressors run overnight and without the air conditioner, Sugar and Spice can reach up to 90, which contributed to her encounter with sticky yeast and cake doughnuts early in the morning.\nBy turning off the air conditioner overnight and then restarting it in the morning, many have questioned how much energy is actually being saved. The belief is that it takes more energy to recool a building than it would be to leave it on all night.\n"In terms of energy it's almost never true," Matson said. "Less energy will be used over time."\nPeople have also questioned the amount of energy all of the fans use now when thermostats could be set at 76 like they were last summer.\n"A small desk or ceiling fan is not going to use as much energy as the A/C would running at 76 compared to 78," Matson said. Matson added that shutting down air conditioners overnight reduces the peak in energy demanded. The University turns them back on in the early morning hours, depending on when people get in. The buildings then begin to cool, so less energy is demanded at the warmest hours of the day. The Physical Plant's goal is to strike a balance between energy conservation and demand control, Matson said. The Physical Plant is also asking building users to turn off lights, computer monitors and laser printers that are not in use.\n"It seems to be working," Peter Hanson, a computer consultant and graduate student said. "When you turn off the lights and monitors, the air conditioner can keep the relative room temperature down."\nSome lecture halls across campus have censors installed to shut off lights after a room has been empty for a certain amount of time. In addition to what energy would have been used to have the lights on, the censors help because less energy is used to cool the dark room.\nPeriodically throughout the day, Chris Moore, an engineering intern at the Physical Plant and recent IU graduate, checks large lecture halls around campus for lights that have been left on. He said that the Physical Plant sent e-mail to building representatives and building services about shutting off the lights and so far they have received a positive response.\n"They've gotten a lot better since the beginning of the summer," Moore said. "I don't consider checking the halls a waste of time because it's a good thing we're doing."\nSo far this season, all of the load shedding efforts have been successful.\n"We can see a reduction in our loads," Matson said.\nEnergy conservation extends past summer at IU though. Matson said the Physical Plant keeps looking for different ways to use buildings and machinery, and installing equipment in new buildings that is more energy efficient.