Washington University’s “year of purpose” is focusing on energy conservation as environmental sustainability ramps up on campus. From inviting guest lecturers in the School of Architecture to a docking station for electric cars in the Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) building, the University has been making efforts to reduce energy consumption.
The two main sources of energy for the University include natural gas for heating and steam energy and electricity for power and air conditioning. Even the switch to natural gas, a cleaner burning fuel, is relatively new as the University was dependent on coal energy until 1992.
While the University is dealing with switching to cleaner energy sources, it must also deal with capacity issues as the number of buildings on campus keeps growing. Increased efficiency has accounted for this concern, however.
Besides long-term changes, there are simpler solutions to make the University more environmentally friendly. A recent collaboration between sophomore Ichiyo Yiye Zhang and the Facilities Planning and Management department revealed that by lowering the temperature two to three degrees in the auditorium of Lab Sciences, the University could save up to $7,000 in energy costs per year.
Zhang, a mathematics and biology major, first proposed the idea to the Facilities department after inspiration from home.
“I came up with the idea by myself. I lived in Japan before I came here. The Japanese government is doing a similar campaign to reduce energy waste. I thought if this program was successful within the Wash. U. community, there could be a positive influence beyond the campus,” said Zhang.
Zhang worked with an engineer who used computer software to calculate how much energy and how much money the University would save by having different temperature set points in lecture halls. According to Zhang, the University sets the temperature at 73 degrees throughout the year. Because of code regulations, the air must be dried and then reheated, which consumes a lot of energy. Zhang’s proposal aims to reduce this energy consumption by reheating the air only to 70 degrees.
Currently, the Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) building is the only building on campus that is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design System (LEED) certified, which means it meets a standard that promotes sustainability and responsible energy usage. For example, the building is equipped with energy efficient lights, environment-friendly rugs, sustainable tiles and streetlights that automatically turn off lights during daylight hours.
Ed Barry, manager for utilities operations, said, “All new construction, as I understand it, will be LEED certified, including the new Social Sciences and Law building.”
When asked about what the biggest problem of energy waste was on campus, Largus Angenent, assistant professor in the Environmental Engineer Science Program, pointed to the excessive lighting throughout campus. He suggested that using sensor lights might be one of the ways the University can make the campus more energy efficient.
“I think [sensor lights] would be a great thing to implement campus wide, with a relatively cheap cost. We’re doing it more in new buildings because it is easier than retrofitting the old buildings,” said Barry.
Barry explained other solutions that the University will implement over the next few years, including the utilization of local materials to reduce transportation pollution and reduce the amount of heat-absorbing items used in construction.
“An area with a lot of energy wastage is Mallinckrodt near the south doors, which open automatically for over 30 seconds and cause a lot of heat to come in. A solution would be to create a set of double doors, like a vestibule to prevent that loss,” added Barry.
Throughout the nation, the building sector uses the most energy per year, surpassing even the transportation and industry sectors. Architect Edward Mazria, guest speaker at the lecture series for the School of Architecture, argued that by designing the building in certain ways or modifying preexisting building procedure or structure, our nation could reduce significant energy waste. He is currently leading a group called Architecture 2030, a campaign to reduce carbon emissions from buildings by the year 2030 by implementing smart design strategies.