Lighting

Most lighting systems, especially those designed and installed before the 1990's, are at best only 55% efficient. To make matters worse, all of that wasted electricity ends up as heat which imposes an additional load on air conditioning, resulting in the consumption of even more electricity. Further, some lamps tend to expire more quickly than others, so, when you add the maintenance costs required to replace prematurely expired lamps, the total cost of retaining and utilizing an inefficient lighting system becomes even more substantial. Either way, month after month, money is needlessly lost.

The quickest and easiest way to reduce MHC's energy bill is to install energy efficient lighting campus-wide. Lamps of the highest efficiencies can lower energy costs up to 38% (generally those referred to as 'T8'). New standards in lighting quality and durability (lasting up to 24,000 hours or an extra year of lighting in some cases) have made it possible for a 50% payback in two years or less. Read more about GE's Energy Star lighting.

Another easy way to save energy and money, would be to require all students to use Compact Fluorescent bulbs. We are already not permitted to use halogens as they are a fire hazard, why not go a step further and make efficiency the standard? Generally students bring at least one lamp to college with them, if not more, and these burn through a substantial amount of power.