Energy Use and Efficiency

Mission

To lower GCSU’s carbon footprint through the reduction of energy consumption, and to create an atmosphere at GCSU where conservation of energy is expected and rewarded.

Goals

To meet the Governor’s Energy Challenge, which is to reduce energy consumption per square foot by 15% below the 2007 level, and to do so by 2020
To meter all buildings separately so that employees who work in that building can be encouraged and rewarded to save energy
To continue to improve facilities building automation systems to allow for more flexibility with HVAC controls and temperature range, and to establish protocols which will provide the greatest flexibility and reduce energy consumption
To work with the Transportation and Water Subcommittees with the aim of conserving energy and resources at the institutional level

Saving Energy

GCSU’s energy use is enormous; each year we spend over $2 million on electricity alone. Conserving energy is smart for other reasons as well: burning coal to produce power can be inefficient and polluting, it damages local communities in coal-mining regions, and it discourages cleaner local solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The most important thing you can do is to reduce your energy use by being aware of how much you consume. While we all want to be warm and safe, we don’t need to leave the lights on or the heat up when there isn’t anyone in the room. Please turn out the lights and lower the thermostat when you leave. Here is a valuable link that suggests easy ways to reduce your energy use.

Here are some simple suggestions from the National Wildlife Federation for reducing your carbon impact and saving our campus valuable energy resources:

Turn off unnecessary lights
Hang dry clothes
Turn off power strips
Replace your old light bulbs with Compact Florescent Lights
Use computer labs instead of personal computers
Turn down the brightness on your screen
Turn your computer off instead of putting it in standby
Walk stairs instead of taking elevator
Bike or use public transportation instead of driving your car
Take fewer showers
Adjust your thermostat (78 in summer; 68 in winter)
Put plastic on your windows to winterize your dorm room more effectively
Dress more warmly, wear more layers
Sign a campus energy pledge to abide by certain energy reduction strategies
Generate your own ideas and share them with others…

Georgia’s industries, including schools, can do a lot to save energy!

Mission

Goals

Saving Energy

Other Energy Conservation Links:

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