May 17, 2002—A new energy-conservation initiative at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, is bringing about significant savings in the university’s electric bill.
The first step of the initiative took place last December. Just before the university closed down for the 2001 holidays, it sent a mass e-mail and posters to faculty, staff, and students asking them to make a special effort to turn off lights and electrical devices before going on vacation. The result was a reduction of more than 360,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity used in the ten-day period compared with the same period the previous year, and savings of about $25,000.
Other Cornell energy-saving measures in the works:
- Labeling thousands of light switches on campus with “Please turn me off when you don’t need me” stickers.
- Persuading users to institute the “power-save” mode on their computers. If “sleep” is clicked on all the estimated 20,000 computers on campus or the machines are switched off about half the time, savings of about 7 million kilowatt hours per year would result.
- Evaluation of vending machine power-saving controllers to minimize standby electric power use.
- Modifications to university design and construction standards to promote cost-effective energy conservation features in new construction.
For more information contact Bill Steele at 607/255-7164.
