UDAILY is produced by the Office of Public Relations
150 South College Ave.
Newark, DE 19716-2701
(302) 831-2791

2:50 p.m., Aug. 4, 2003--Next time you leave your office, make sure you turn off the light switch. New switch plate stickers have been distributed to remind the campus community to save energy.

The University spent more than $8.5 million on electricity last year, and about $1.7 million of it was spent on lights, according to Bob Stozek, associate vice president for facilities.

Last year, when facilities staff issued energy-saving tip sheets, staff members called in. One reported the tennis court lights burned all night. One complained about a door that didn’t close properly so air-conditioning leaked out.

Stozek said he was grateful to the callers. It turned out the timer on the tennis courts lights wasn’t working, and the door needed adjustment. Both fixes saved energy.

The University made big and small changes to curb energy consumption around campus last year and cut its electric bill by about $500,000, Stozek says.

August and September are the University’s biggest energy-consumption months.

“The best energy conservation tool is the light switch,’’ Stozek said. “Just turn things off, to conserve power.’’

To conserve energy around campus be sure to:

• Turn off unnecessary lights.
• Turn off unnecessary office equipment and other operating equipment, especially when going home at night.
• Close window blinds.
• Close exterior doors.
• In laboratory buildings, adjust the lab hood sashes to cut unnecessary exhaust. Sending cooled air out through exhaust stacks wastes energy.
• A CRT computer monitor uses 60 watts of power. Adjust your monitor’s power settings to save energy, and turn the monitor off when leaving for the day.

To request more switch plate covers, call Facilities at 831-1141.

Article by Kathy Canavan