MHC's Energy Conservation Policy
In the interest
of saving energy and money, the College recently adopted a new
energy conservation
policy that will lower target
temperatures in College buildings. The daytime minimum temperature
in academic and administrative buildings is 68 degrees; for residence
halls, 70 degrees. Nighttime
and weekend minimum temperatures are 60 degrees for academic
and administrative buildings and 65 degrees for residence halls.
This is generally a two-degree change from last year. Areas where
normal occupancy extends into nighttime and weekends will be
kept at minimum daytime temperatures.
Nancy Apple,
the College’s
director of safety and environmental affairs, explained that
the new policy will achieve three important
objectives. First, it will reduce the magnitude of the additional
heating costs the College faces this winter due to rising fuel
costs. The cost of heating oil rose 30 percent last year and
will rise another 60 percent this year. The price of natural
gas has
doubled in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The conservation policy
will also conserve energy. By turning down the thermostats, the
College expects to save 53,000 gallons of oil, enough to heat
68 homes in Massachusetts for the heating season. Finally, burning
fossil fuel is Mount Holyoke’s largest source of greenhouse
gas emissions. The College’s conservation policy will reduce
CO2 emissions by nearly 600 tons. “The College is grateful
to the community for its cooperation with the new policy,” said
Mary Jo Maydew, Vice President for Finance and Administration.
Given that
it is sometimes difficult to control temperatures in all spaces
of a heating zone, some spaces may indeed be warmer than the
target temperature so that others can reach the target. Facilities
Management is committed to achieving the target temperature
in occupied areas.
In areas where
the heating system cannot be adjusted to meet the target temperature,
the College will supply radiant
heaters.
The
College has changed the space heater standard to radiant heaters
because they are more energy efficient, have a lower fire risk,
and cause less disruption by reducing tripping of electrical
circuits. Employees who have personal electrical resistance
space heaters
are asked to take them home. If employees want supplemental
heat, they must use an approved radiant heater.
On the MHC Web:
Energy
Conservation Policy
List of Approved Space Heaters
Facilities
Management Homepage
News & Events
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