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Energy Conservation In A Nutshell

How Many Mosquitos Does it Take to Lift a Grand Piano?

The BTU Equation:

Common CENTS X 7,000 = $1,000’s of Dollars

WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

	Action	Potential Annual Impact
1	Minimize Use of Personal Electric Heaters	$58,000
	Say 300 x $193 each =
2	Blow Out the Lights to save 10 hrs/day + Weekends	$62,000
	5,200 Lamps x $11.92 each =
3	Shut off Computer Monitors 14 hrs/day + Weekends	$78,000
	4,500 Computers + 500 Sunrays =
4	Shut off Computers and Monitors 14 hrs/day + Weekends	$25,000
	2,700 Computers =
5	Close Windows & Doors to save 1% of our Annual Fuel Bill	$15,000
	=
6	Reduce Overheating by 1˚F to save 3% of our Annual Fuel Bill	$45,000
	=
7	Reduce Run time on 50 of 210 Fume Hood Exhaust Fans from 24/7 to 40 hrs/week	$140,000
	50 x $2,800 each =
8	Reduce Water Usage on 10 Research Setups @ 2 gals/min from 24/7 to 60 hrs/week. Saves 6.7 Million Gallons Annually	$56,000
	10 Setups x $5,664 each =
9	Reduce Electric Usage on 10 Research Setups @ 1,500 watts from 24/7 to 60 hrs/week	$5,000
	10 Setups x $512 each =
	Total Potential =	$484,000

Is this Possible?

FY 01/02 Utility Budget

Total University

Fuel	$1,567,000
Electricity	$2,144,000
Water & Sewage	$1,129,000
Total	$4,840,000

Therefore a savings of $484,000 annually is 10% of our Utility Budget!

How many other potential action items are out there that individual students, faculty & staff know about that could save energy?

$69 Savings Per Person x 7,000 = $484,000

? Additional Savings x 7,000 = Big Bucks

In the 80’s we invested $1.6 million of MTU Moneys & $1.6 million of Federal & State Funds in Energy Conservation. At the same time, many no-cost and low-cost energy conservation measures suggested by students, faculty and staff were implemented. As a result:

Fuel use was cut by 40%

Electricity use was cut by 17%

The Accumulated Savings to Date is: $10 Million Dollars

Our investment of $1.6 million MTU Funds has put us $8.4 million dollars ahead.

How would another $8.4 million affect our balance sheet today?

The Detroit Free Press reported on 1/17/02 that "This week, U-M will launch the Ecolympics, a program in the residence halls to reduce the use of water and electricity, reduce waste and increase recycling," Rich Robben, U-M's director of plant operations said. "Consumption figures for this semester for each hall will be compared to the same period last year. Halls with the best performance win prizes and meals. We're trying to encourage students to do things like turn off lights, set back thermostats, close windows, turn appliances off, limit refrigerators to one per room," Robben said. "We're trying to impress upon students that every little bit helps. We spend $42 million a year on gas and electric consumption. A 3- to 5-percent reduction could save us $1 million a year."

Later this month, U-M will launch a new program, Making a Greener Maize and Blue, to encourage reduced energy consumption at academic buildings and laboratories," Robben said.

Energy Conservation is a series of small actions leading to a significant result

We need to convince the 7,000 individuals on this campus that what they do can make a BIG DIFFERENCE.

Are you one of them?

Do you have any energy savings tips that you would like to share with the campus community?

If so, please e-mail your tip to chp@mtu.edu. Please include a phone number where we can reach you. Your tip will be included on the page Energy Saving Tips on this web site