USU takes steps to save energy
Utah State University officials are trying to stay one step above the rest in the scramble to save energy with limited funding.
“Energy has been an issue on campus for the past 12 years. It’s a major thing,” said Darrell Hart, assistant vice president of Facilities.
Since the California energy crisis a few years ago, increases in energy costs have spread to other Western states, including Utah. All 10 higher-education institutions have been trying to find solutions.
As of July 1, 2002, USU had a negative balance of $718,259 for its energy expenditures. With the exception of the University of Utah, which had a negative balance of $8,579,179, USU had the highest negative balance of institutions in the state, according to figures provided by the Office of the Commissioner for Higher Education.
“Those with positive [energy expenditure] balances may be on the negative side before this fiscal year is over,” said David Buhler, spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner for Higher Education, in a Jan. 26 article by the Deseret News.
Brian Andersen, USU director of Facilities Operations, said, “Bad global issues in 2000 caused an energy crisis in the United States. Over the last two years, the market costs have started to come down, and that should help. We think we’re doing fine. In specific areas, the state looks to us for leadership.”
As part of President Kermit L. Hall’s Compact Plan to create and retain an efficient and sustainable university environment, Facilities has identified eight areas of focus, according to the 2003 Compact Plan.
These areas are: water, electrical, co-generation, natural gas, steam, sewer, recycling and building design.
“Each year we go through every system [on campus]. We look at how we are doing, and what do we have yet to do. We need to find ways to make [energy use] as effective as we can,” Andersen said.
For the past several years, Facilities has managed to save the university $1 million a year in energy expenditures, Hart said.
“We’re doing everything we can to make the environment as energy efficient as possible,” he said.
Facilities is working on large- and small-scale projects in order to produce a more energy-efficient campus.
By Nov. 30, a Co-generational Central Chilling Plant is scheduled to be operational. Co-generation utilizes energy (natural gas in this case) to generate electrical power and use the waste heat in the steam system, according to the plan.
A private company will fund $14.7 million for the new central energy plant. Over 20 years, USU will repay the company with savings from the improved efficiency, Hart said.
Facilities staff technicians recently completed a utility tunnel project that replaced more than 6,200 feet of old, leaky mainline piping. The new piping is well-insulated to save energy.
On a smaller scale, USU has worked on increasing the amount and quality of topsoil used on new construction and renovation. Deepening topsoil allows plants to have an extended root system, which means less-frequent irrigation, according to the plan.
Other areas of improvement include increasing the individual campus user’s awareness of the proper use and disposal methods concerning the sanitary sewer system.
Aside from work by Facilities, students can play an active part in that around campus wherever possible.
“The best approach to environmentalism is to start small. The idea is not being wasteful in the first place. Those things become habits when you start small,” said Vanessa Welsh, a member of the USU Ecological Coalition of Students.
Welsh gave a few suggestions that students can do to conserve energy, like turning off the faucet and lights when they are not in use and writing on both sides of a piece of paper.
The Campus Recycling Committee is exploring opportunities to improve and increase recycling efforts. Students can join the committee to learn more about recycling as a way of life, according to the plan.
–mmackay@cc.usu.edu