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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

administration

IU Physical Plant calls to reduce energy use

The summer heat is pushing energy usage on campus toward peak demand.

In early July, the IU Physical Plant placed the University on peak alert.

This kind type of alert is triggered when the University is on the verge of reaching peak demand in energy consumption.

Electrical peak demand is determined by the half hour of highest energy consumption on campus during the month.

Peggy Maschino, ?associate director of the business office at IU Physical Plant, said lowering the peak demand saves the University thousands of dollars in addition to environmental benefits.

“First, peak electrical demand is expensive,” Maschino said in an email. “IU pays about $23 per kW at peak. If we are able to shed our peak by 4,000 kW, we can save close to $100,000 in a single month’s electric bill.”

Unlike an electricity bill that charges energy use per kilowatt-hour, the University is considered a high-load factor user.

IU must pay for energy use per kilowatt-hour and also for the increased rate per kilowatt during peak demand.

Hank Hewetson, assistant vice president for facility operations, said air conditioning is a large component of the University’s energy use during the summer months.

“When you look at that actual energy required to do that, it’s about 20 percent of our electrical use over the summer,” Hewetson said.

The University has taken steps to reducing energy consumption in multiple ways.

New buildings are constructed at the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver standard or higher.

Doug Trueblood, assistant manager at the Control Center at the IU Physical Plant, said investing into energy-efficient materials is important to maintaining a low peak demand in the future.

“How you end up keeping your peak down over the long run is that you spend the money to buy the most efficient equipment from day one,” Trueblood said.

The IU Physical Plant also regulates temperature in buildings across campus to ensure no more electricity than necessary is being used.

IU’s efforts have led to a 4-percent decrease in energy consumption in the past two years.

“By knowing what’s going on on the campus, by working behind the scenes to duty cycle equipment, by making some decisions on how things operate, we can have some control of our own destiny,” Hewetson said.

Student participation in reducing energy use has already made a difference in energy consumption on campus, Hewetson said. The IU Physical Plant is involved in reading meters for the Energy Challenge.

Students turning off the lights and unplugging unnecessary equipment make a big difference, Hewetson said.

“Everyone can do their share,” Hewetson said.

IU plans to invest in alternative forms of energy in the next several years. Mixes of coal and natural gas are in development to find the most efficient mix of energy sources to power the campus.

A hot water, solar-powered heating program is also being developed and will be piloted in one of the residence halls .

Hewetson said he believes efforts in reducing energy usage will save money that can be redirected toward education.

“It warrants paying close attention to because the way the campus looks at this is every dollar we can divert from operating is a dollar they can apply toward the academic mission in some way and keep the tuition costs down,” Hewetson said. “We try to work hard to do the most efficient job we can.”

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