Summer energy saving plan

The College of New Jersey rolled out an energy conservation awareness initiative in December 2005 to help mitigate the unprecedented escalation in energy prices that occurred the previous fall. Since that time, the College has saved $479,000 in FY 2006 and $729,000 in FY 2007 year to date. These savings represent real, measurable success of our collective efforts, and the College will continue this initiative indefinitely. In anticipation of your continued commitment, $529,000 in potential energy savings has been included in the FY 2008 budget . 

As air conditioning season approaches, the College again calls upon the campus community to support the “Knowledge is Power” energy conservation initiative and continue to make this savings goal a reality. Please continue to observe simple changes in energy utilization behaviors that affect operating costs, and the environment, while relieving pressure on institutional resources. The initiative’s three major awareness components outlined below remain the same as last summer, but many other opportunities for energy conservation are detailed on the College’s energy conservation awareness website, www.tcnj.edu/energy. 

Adjust Office and Building Temperatures to 77 Degrees Fahrenheit

Buildings that have centralized temperature controls will be set at a temperature of 77 degrees. This includes administrative, academic, residential and athletic facilities.In buildings and rooms with thermostats that are not centrally controlled, individual occupants should manually set the temperature to 77 degrees.This temperature reduction saves approximately $250,000, if it continues to receive campus support.Building occupants are encouraged to remove all items that block cooling and return registers to allow proper cooling distribution and air circulation to each space.The campus community is encouraged to close all exterior windows and doors in order to minimize the loss of cooled air from buildings. Doors should not be propped open.  

Adopt the 10-Minute Lighting Guideline

Building occupants are requested to adopt a “10-Minute Lighting Guideline” and turn off lights if you are leaving a room for more than 10 minutes.Additionally, please turn off lights in areas with adequate natural lighting and consider using task lighting instead of overhead lights in areas without natural daylight. 

Use of Office Equipment

The campus community is asked to turn off all equipment, such as computers, monitors, printers, scanners, copiers, and other office/lab equipment, when not in use for extended periods of time. This is especially critical during unoccupied evening, overnight and weekend periods.All faculty, students and staff are requested not to use screensavers on their computers.  Instead, all users should set computers to sleep mode.The campus community is encouraged to reduce the number of electrical appliances in use by consolidating where possible (coffee pots, microwaves, refrigerators) and turning them off when not in use.

As with the winter phase of the initiative, we are aware that some buildings have routinely experienced temperature control problems including air conditioning in the summer.  We will continue to work to resolve those issues wherever possible. To this end, Facilities Operations has committed to giving comfort complaints priority second only to safety issues. 

The team of College community members working on this initiative will continue to report our progress and work to put your ideas and suggestions into action. Please distribute this announcement to staff members in your department who do not regularly access e-mail, and share your comments or questions with Lori Winyard at extension 2353 or via e-mail at winyard@tcnj.edu. 

Each member of the college community plays a vital role in conserving energy by becoming knowledgeable, continuing to embrace energy-efficient habits, and being vigilant in watching for energy waste. The success of this energy conservation initiative depends upon all of us to do our part. Remember, “Knowledge is Power!” 

Thank you for your support and continued dedication in helping the College to succeed in this critical effort.