Chip, et al.:

It's good to hear that UTC has been doing some things to reduce energy
costs.  However, have we been doing enough?  I think the bottom line answer
to that question is painfully evident every time I return from a sample
collection trip at 3AM (I don't do this all the time, it just happens some
times).  When I enter Holt Hall and see that absolutely every fluorescent
light bulb in the common areas of the building are burning brightly (is it
to keep the roaches at bay?), you know that UTC can and must do better.  I
realize that there are critical security issues with common areas of our
buildings at night, but I've done research at many other universities where
they have a "ghost" lighting system for common areas at night.  It seems to
me that up to 2/3 of the individual lights in common areas could be switched
off, say from 9PM to 7AM.  If this was repeated in all of our buildings, the
savings (both in dollars spent and in lowered emissions from TVA plants)
would probably be substantial.

If our society decides to go the market route to improve energy and
environmental problems, the bar must be raised on a regular basis. Rewards
for innovation need to encourage even higher levels of efficiency and
conservation to improve energy and environmental problems tied to an ever
increasing human population. It is also essential that the most harmful
things we do (e.g., coal mined via mountain top removal, or petroleum
purchased from rogue, terrorist supporting nations) must cost much more than
the alternatives.  That way, our natural tendency will be to find more
benign energy sources, benefiting society in many ways.  UTC needs to be a
leader in this daunting task.

Take care,

Henry Spratt
______________________________________________________________________

Henry G. Spratt, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Ave.
Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598

Ph: (423)425-4383
Fax: (423)425-2285
e-mail: [log in to unmask]



On 3/1/07 5:29 PM, "Marvin (Chip) Verner" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Jillian, John, and other interested parties,
> 
> Though I don't think it is widely known, our storeroom and electric shop
> have been working together for quite some time to identify way in which
> to improve our lighting efficiency.  In fact, we are already replacing
> incandescent and older style fluorescents with newer, more efficient
> offerings.  As it stands today, less than 1% of the total lighting on
> campus is comprised of incandescent bulbs.
> 
> Since UTC's environmental stance has been a hot topic of late, I'll go a
> bit further based on the perspective of the Facilities Department:
> Breaking down our total energy consumption on campus, you find that 64%
> is electric, 10% water and sewer, and 26% natural gas. Over the past
> seven years, our administration has encouraged superintendents and shop
> personnel to identify ways in which to conserve our resources and cut
> energy costs in each of these areas. In addition to changes in lighting,
> there have been continuous improvements in the operation of our building
> mechanical systems and vast alterations to the Central Energy Plant.
> Many changes have been small things, and some have been large, but all
> have had an incremental impact resulting in reduced overall consumption.
> 
> In the end, what has the impact been?  In a time when natural gas prices
> are soaring, energy costs are up, and water and sewer rates continue to
> climb, the Facilities Department has managed to reduce the campus
> utility costs by $.64 per square foot, adding up to $19 million in
> savings over the past 10 years.
> 
> Oh, and did I mention our custodial department maintains a comprehensive
> recycle program? 
> 
> ...Maybe UTC is a little green after all.
>  
> 
> Chip Verner
> Facilities Services Manager
> Facilities Planning & Management
> Phone: 423-425-5103
> Fax: 423-425-4749
> 
> 
>  
>  
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Jillian Zwilling
> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 12:43 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] Should UTC ban the bulb?
> 
> Hi Everyone, 
> 
> This sounds like a great idea-  I have another "bright" suggestion.  How
> about installing motion sensors on vending machines, bathroom lights,
> classroom lights in older buildings, etc.   I realize that EMCS already
> has some of these improvements, but think of the cost savings to the
> university over time if we could cut our energy consumption just by 4 or
> 5%- That would add up over time to offset the cost of improvements and
> continue to save money for years to come.  Just a thought.
> 
> Jillian
> 
> 
> Jillian Klean Zwilling
> Department of Theatre and Speech
> University of Tennessee- Chattanooga
> 
> Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in
> education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.- John F. Kennedy
> 
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