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One session this afternoon presented information from Michigan State U, and spoke to the need to correlate behavioral changes to reduce energy demand with operational changes to increase energy efficiency. While some of the early modeling pointed towards a 9% electricity savings potential among operations, behavior and technology taken separately, some of the early trial efforts are showing a 20% year-end reduction when evening and weekend classroom utilization is rationalized.
At Greenback, as at many schools, evening classes take place pretty much in whatever academic space the department in question owns and operates -- faculty teaching at night use the same classrooms as their departmental colleagues use during the day. What results is a large number of buildings which remain fully lit and powered up even if only one or two rooms are in use. Rather than powering these buildings down at 5:00 or 6:00 pm, they remain pretty much on full load until 11:00 or midnight.
MSU has consolidated classroom use among seven buildings and experienced that 20% savings. Other schools have taken strong stances on shutting down buildings over intersession, over holidays, even over weekends. Sure, some faculty insist on coming in to their offices, but (1) not as often as they did in years past and (2) it's more efficient to give one or two professors space heaters than it is to heat an entire building.
Options and flexibility are good, but rules and restrictions aren't always bad. After all, each of us chooses to drive only on the right-hand side of any given road. We give up 50% of our available driving flexibility, yet we all seem to benefit as a result. Rules about what spaces, what buildings, are available and when needn't be perceived as any more uncomfortable than the rules of the road.
