ENERGY USE ACROSS CAMPUS

Computer Energy Usage

Inspections were done across campus to identify areas where electricity is left on during off hours, and usage audits were conducted before, during, and after normal office hours of Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. Inspections have identified that most lab computers are left on most of time, which significantly increases demand to not only power the equipment, but to keep the air handlers running extra to combat heat generated from the computer equipment.

In conservative estimates, reduced energy consumption, in areas left on during idle hours, could reduce energy costs between $60,000 and $80,000 annually campus wide.

An individual office could save between $832 and $1,664 per year during a regular work week, if computer equipment was shut off during idle hours (idle hours during a regular working week are determined to be 5pm-7am Monday through Thursday & weekends Friday 5pm to Monday 7am).

Office suites with 4 computer stations per reception area could save between $5,200 and $10,400 per year if computer equipment was shut off during idle hours (estimations are based on a regular work week).

An average computer lab could save between $23,400 and $46,800 per year, if everything was shut off during idle hours (estimations are based on a regular working week, with idle hours determined to be 11 pm-7 am).

Calculations were done through the Office Computer Energy Use spreadsheet and through the Computer Lab Energy Use spreadsheet by using the following statistics for a standard computer lab: 30 CPU, 30 LCD Monitor, 1 Speaker set, 1 Printer, and 1 Scanner.

To view the Office Computer Energy Use spreadsheet, click here.

To view the Computer Lab Energy Use spreadsheet, click here.

Standby information taken from the following website: http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html

Power Usage Across Campus

Research done through the Physical Plant has also found that energy use has increased over the last school year. Based on kilowatt hours (kWh) determined by Florida Power and Light, the following chart shows the percentage of increase or decrease from the previous school year.

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Light switch stickers have been placed on outlets throughout campus to remind students, faculty, and staff to turn off lights before they leave a classroom.

The Physical Plant hopes these efforts will increase awareness of energy use on campus, ultimately reducing the University’s carbon footprint.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this information, please contact the Work Management Center at 590-1370 or wmc@fgcu.edu

UTILITY USE ACROSS CAMPUS

Utility Usage

Along with calculating energy use per building, the Physical Plant has started monitoring utility usage, namely usage of water on campus. Below is a chart of buildings that have not been upgraded or renovated in the last two years. These buildings can be calculated and show the percentage of increase or decrease from the previous school year.  

Additional resources:

Phantom Load Case Studies
Phantom Load Webinar Powerpoint
Phantom Load Resource List
Phantom Load Webinar Questions & Answers