Public bodies, such as Universities and Hospitals, are heavy users of energy and a few basic measures can save a substantial amount financially and environmentally.

Wright State have their own newspaper “The Guardian” which in part reported the following details:

Dayton Power and Light has awarded $118,000 in rebates to Wright Sate in just the first year of the University’s energy conservation project.

Wright State could potentially receive an additional $200,000 for using new lighting techniques to save energy. The rebates from DP&L have allowed WSU to upgrade all lighting on campus.

“Upgrading light fixtures everywhere on campus was phase one,” said Wright State Energy Manager, John Howard. “It touched every room within the university, which has never been done before.”

These upgrades have already saved WSU 32 percent on lighting energy alone….

“To save energy, sometimes it takes a considerable investment because you need to have greater equipment,” said Howard. “There’s always something more efficient out there.”

Associate director of the WSU physical plant, Bill Knotts further explained the process.

“Florescent lights at Home Depot used to run about ten bucks and now you can get them for a dollar,” said Knotts. “That was part of the rebate from Dayton Power and Light. This project is the same thing, just on a much larger scale.”

In addition to the money gained from the rebates, Wright State will also benefit from an estimated annual energy savings of $45,000.

This is interesting as these projected savings are just by changing the lighting, they are obviously benefiting from the rebates from the utility company and there will no doubt be grants available from the Federal or State government.

Although WSU are changing lights to more energy efficient products an intelligent lighting management system would also contribute to major savings.

All WSU needs now is a way of monitoring their energy use to discover where the greatest savings could be made, as Bethune-Cookman University did in Florida (Check out the story).

Universities and other public bodies can make serious savings on harmful emissions and in money which will boost hard hit budgets and services – but as in the case of Wright University action has to be taken and consideration of energy monitoring for effective energy management.

Plus a few tips for the workplace to help you start to save energy right away by dismissing the myths while taking some positive actions to save energy, save money and reduce carbon emissions.

First of all some myths regarding energy saving:

It’s better to leave a PC running because continually turning them on and off wears out the equipment.
This is Untrue.
Turning a PC off regularly not only saves energy but also extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear. Most PC manufactures recommend that users turn off their machines when not being used. This extends the machines life due to a reduction in mechanical wear and save energy.

It’s cheaper to leave a fluorescent light on rather than switch it off.
This is Untrue
It’s a lot cheaper to turn any lights off when not in use, even for a very short amount of time.

The radiator is cold so the heating MUST be off.
This is Untrue
The heating isn’t necessarily off. Where a building heating system or radiator is thermostatically controlled the radiator may go off because the office has reached an optimal temperature (19^oC). The heating will automatically come back on if the temperature drops below the set temperature.

Screen savers save energy
This is Untrue
Screen savers don’t save energy, they may save screens!

It’s better to leave a monitor on because continually turning them on and off uses more energy.
This is Untrue.
A computer monitor only consumes one seconds energy worth of running time when being started up or closed down. As monitors account for 70% of the PCs energy use, it’s always better to turn them off when away from your desk, even for relatively short times, like over lunch or attending a meeting.

On the positive side here are some useful tips:

WORK RELATED ENERGY FACTS & FIGURES

It is time to get the facts and the myths about compact fluorescent bulbs — CFLs — to address the concerns, questions and rumors that seem to be everywhere these days.

And because I often hear from readers complaining that the CFLs they buy never last very long, I tried to find out the best ways to use the bulbs so they reach the promised lifetimes their manufacturers claim. Consider the following:

• Mercury: CFLs do contain about 5 milligrams of mercury. The bulbs do not emit mercury when they are being used. When putting them into lamps, hold the bulbs by their base and don’t force them into the socket.

• Breaking: The only way for the mercury vapor to escape the tube is if the bulb breaks. If that happens, ventilating the room for about 15 minutes will allow the gas to escape. You can then carefully scoop up the broken pieces, double-bag them and throw them out with your trash.

• Sources: The largest man-made sources of mercury are coal-fired power plants If you’re really concerned about the amount of mercury in our air, then, you’re actually better off buying CFLs than incandescents. Since CFLs use less electricity than incandescents, they actually reduce the amount of mercury getting into our environment.

• Disposal: To dispose of unbroken bulbs, it is recommended that you take them to a recycling center in your community. Contact your local municipal solid waste agency to find the locations of recycling centers near you.

• Hazards: There have been reports about CFLs causing fires, smoking and causing other hazards. While there has been little proof that bulbs caused these problems, you should make sure that the CFLs you buy carry the Underwriters Laboratories UL mark that show they have been tested for safety hazards.

• Lifetimes: Frequently turning CFLs on and off will shorten their lifetimes. For uses of about 15 minutes or less (such as in closets or stairways), use incandescent bulbs. For recessed fixtures, three-way fixtures, dimmers, outdoor use or other specialized situations, make sure the package says the bulb is appropriate for this use.

• Cost: Cheap bulbs probably won’t last as long or work as well as those with the Energy Star seal that ensures it meets strict federal standards. Low-quality bulbs often flicker and have short lifetimes.

• Savings: You will save money by using CFLs. It’s estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill is for lighting. CFLs will last seven to 10 times longer than incandescents and use one-fourth of the energy to produce the same amount of light.

By Ken Sheinkopf, who is a communications specialist with the American Solar Energy Society.

Compact Florescent Lamp

IT is obvious to say the Compact Florescent replacement lamps (CFLs) can save energy and they will pay for themselves many times over by comparison to powering an incandescent bulb.

I personally use them in my home and office.  I am however not convinced that I am doing the right thing for the power system.

Consider an older home (or office); the electrical system (breakers, transformers, etc.) were engineered for mostly “traditional” linear loads.  An example of a linear load is a resistive load as in incandescent lights, AC Motors and electric heaters.

Today, consumers use so many non-linear devices generally found in consumer electronics: flat screens, computers, television sets, and now the addition of CFL’s.  One may never acknowledge the effects that these devices have on the electrical system.

There is a precious balance of linear and non-linear loads that should be considered.  If a wholesale exchange of bulb (incandescent) to CFL’s were to be considered, there could be a problem with a tipping the balance of non-linear loads.  This can present a problem with overheating the transformer (neutral loading) and or creating unwanted harmonics.

Most devices are designed and built assuming a perfect sinusoidal wave.  The introduction of non-linear loads will corrupt the pure waveform and therefore create a problem down the road.

While I am a user of CFL’s and I promote their usefulness in several applications as a natural solution to reduce energy consumption, I am also keenly aware of the potential problems that overuse may cause.