RUNNING HEAD: ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL

Proposal for Energy Conservation at ETSU April 19, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL

Figures Proposal for Energy Conservation at ETSU Ideological Information Previous Research Proposal Hypothesis Water Conservation Methodology Electricity Conservation Methodology Ideal Changes for ETSU Going Green Limiting Energy Consumption Managing Efficiency for Buildings and the Population Possible Results References

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ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL FIGURES

Figure 1- Comparison of low flow valve systems by T&S vs. Competitors Figure 2.1- Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration Figure 2.2- Comparison of T12 bulbs to T8 bulbs Figure 3- Electrical Consumption (kWh x 1,000)

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ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL Proposal for Energy Conservation at ETSU Energy conservation has become a hot topic in the scientific community over the past several decades. With the continued destruction of the planet and the rising amounts of pollutants in the atmosphere, people have finally begun to work towards protecting what is left, and finding way to reestablish the energy sources already in use. Water conservation and electricity conservation are two of the easiest sources to conserve, and said conservations take place in all

places, such as businesses, private homes, and entire communities. The efforts of college campuses all over the United States to save both sources has swept through the nation, and many different means of conserving energy sources have erupted from studies and human effort. If the human populace were to continue in its current means of using energy, the amount of valuable resources on the planet will surely disintegrate.

Ideological Information The idea of conserving energy is not only highly noted in America, but it is also in motion in India, China, and other countries that manufacture goods for everyday use. These other countries are also more prepared, and doing a better job at conserving energy compared to the United States. Studies by the EPA, large colleges, newspapers and the likes have looked into the issue here in the U.S. dealing with the use of energy and the extreme costs that come with living. However, there have been, and are always, new ideas as to how to serve the problems. Most studies work in ways in which to effectively conserve resources while also saving money. Switching from green technologies is one of the most effective means of conservation, in terms of money and energy use. However going green is not the only route that is possible, especially in the name of a college with many students using enough energy to continually handle them all every day of each week. Previous Research By studying the different available methods and materials for both water and electrical conservation, along with the methodology of going green, we have been able to determine a

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL

probably set of ideas for the East Tennessee State University. Reading academic and governmental documents, company research papers, and news stories about how places in jeopardy have used known methods to conserve their energy sources has been a great help in order to understand what things can and will work, compared to those that cannot and will not. Yet the biggest idea behind conservation and making it work is the notion of cooperation. Without coordination and cooperation from all those affected by the methods of conservation, there is no promise that it will work. Some communities have so far succeeded in the use of conservation methods, in dry, arid areas where water is hard to come by like the towns and in Southern California (Gould, 2011).

Proposal East Tennessee State University is no different from any other campus. With students that live on and off the grounds, classes in the early morning and late at night, and plenty of hungry mouths to feed, energy uses are quite high. Several moves have already taken effect to attempt to conserve energy in the dormitories on campus, such as the sealing of the windows to prevent air conditioning or heating from running when the window was open. However, small choices like limitations of windows opening does not make that large of a difference in the end. The idea behind studying energy and water conservation has been to find a way in which to help ETSU work to better itself and its community through changes that protect the environment, and save money. It is well known that at night, even on the weekends, the university has a propensity to be lit up, a beacon in the city. There are empty buildings with lights on, heat or air conditioning going to maintain as if people were there. Every night when students are most likely inside of their rooms, sleeping or working, hallway lights remain on. It is the smallest of issues that can cause the greatest of problems. Lighting unused buildings is senseless, as is heating and cooling if not used efficiently. The efficiency at ETSU is hardly what a person might call great, or even good. Therefore, you must be wondering how that might be changed.

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL Hypothesis By signifying a specific set of buildings on the ETSU campus to be trials for several conservation methods in both electricity and water, it is possible to find whether the common

methods will work in the situations given. Conservation of water and energy would affect everyone at ETSU in one way or another. ETSU would be able to save on utility bills, giving the money back to improve the campus. A typical, 50,000 square foot college building, uses more than 100,000 dollars worth of energy per year. This could reduce the amount by up to 40 percent just through implementing a few quick fixes (E Source Companies LLC, 2010). With a budget of roughly 200,000 dollars each year, with each year designating a specific set of buildings, the campus could convert the entirety of the university over the course of 10 years, if not sooner. By now, we know that converting to greener energy sources has paved the way towards repayment. In already completed studies, they show that general conversions have paid for themselves within 2 to 3 years (Amherst College, N/A). Should this be true, then it is obvious that doing a study on one portion of the campus for 2 years will give the needed information in the department of stable, reliable conversion methods.

Water Conservation Water conservation has become a popular idea through the American nation. After sweeping through numerous other countries that have already taken true steps into going green and conserving energy, the ideas have spread. The ideology behind the conservation of water is that, due to the fact that fresh water is becoming a seemingly limited resource, reusing and using less will help aid the nations in reestablishing that which lies within natures own stores. Even small communities use large amounts of water every day, not just inside, but outside as well. The use of water in such a manner is, though thoughtful to the environment, also damaging to cost and efficiency of use of cleaned and filtered city water.

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL Methodology In a report written by J. Kuhner, D. F. Lueke, and M. Shapiro of Meta Systems Inc.,

stereotypical households in the United States used more water than necessary in everyday activities such as laundry, showers and other bathroom activities. Even over 30 years ago, the concern of water conservation was obvious. However, methods in order to attempt to change the usage of water have not changed. They mentioned the idea behind shifting from high flow valves on pipes in the report, and in several other sources used in order to obtain research information for this study. A low flow valve is, in essence, a valve that in recent developments limits the amount of water released while still providing the same amount of force as a regular valve. T&S have created one of the most notably useful low flow valve systems adopted by restaurants (McGuire, 2012).

Figure 1- Comparison of low flow valve systems by T&S vs. Competitors (McGuire, 2012).

By auditing buildings on a campus to determine water usage, making the decisions for available routes is manageable (Platt, 2002). Not only are low flow valves an idea in order to save money and water resources in a community, but tank-less water heating and grey water heat recovery systems also stand as useful ideas for a college community, as both lessen the amount of energy required for the heating of water. Heated water is also essential in maintenance of a community, and so working to creating a more efficient means of handling the energy used in the act of heating water will help drastically in long-term situations (E Source Companies LLC, 2010). General education about water usage is also ideal in the matter of controlling the usage in colleges. While many people know that turning the water off while brushing teeth can help save up water, it is not obvious just how much it can. In the end, the most effective means of controlling

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL water conservation is through actually using less. After years of relying mainly on outside sources

for water, it became apparent to those living in southern California that their means of gaining water resources was not ideal. Piping water from miles away, through lines in the desert, and then using it for all means of activities gained notice as a waste of water. A study found that roughly 54 percent of the water pumped into houses ended up spent on plants and lawns (Gould, 2011). Water recycling plants are one of the most efficient means of preserving water resources, however taking time and money would require not only a community, but in all probabilities, the state the community resided in. Instead of relying on something so long term, recycling the water already residing in households and on campuses is ideal enough, and easy. In ETSU, education on water resources is fundamental. Rules pertaining to shower lengths and dish washing designations could prove most helpful. Even so, the installment of timed showerheads with low flow valves has the capacity to save money. These changes, though expensive at first, would pay for themselves in time. By researching each dormitory and basing limit around previous water usage, each dorm would bear capabilities of modification and editing as pertains to it. Two years of research on the biggest and the smallest dorms, followed by water usages in academic buildings would yield desired information for the entirety of the universitys grounds.

Electricity Conservation Electricity conservation is a huge part of the ever-going green effect taking part all across Americas college campuses. Electricity conservation is basically is ability to use less energy by implementing better energy efficient electrical components making that building greener, which means the building has less carbon emissions. College campuses uses a lot of electricity, somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.95 per foot squared, which is more than five times what a normal residential home would use. A typical 50,000 square foot higher education building in the United States uses more than 100,000 dollars worth of energy each year, this is a huge amount of

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL money that could be used in other parts of the education system, if better energy conservation methods were to be used (E Source Companies LLC, 2010) . Methodology

There are two types of energy conservation methods that a college campus might implement in order to save money, one is the quick inexpensive methods and the other is the more expensive long-term solutions. Most colleges and universities have tight budgets, so it is important to find low or no cost ways to save electricity. Lights, which count for 31 percent of the electricity used per year, are the most common component on a college campus that remains powered consistently. I cannot count how many times I have walked across ETSU campus at night and see every building on campus glowing from all the lights in the build that was left on and how many times I have walked into a building in the middle of the day and every light is on and not a student in sight. Computer and office equipment counts for 9 percent of the electricity a college campus use per year and they are usually on. A typical desktop computer, monitor and printer will draw around 200 watts of power per day when in use for a twenty for hour period. If the computer is in use, the options for a campus to save money are limited; it is when the computer in not in use and left on is where the wasted money starts. Ventilation counts for 22 percent of the electricity colleges use per year. They are in use in the college labs, kitchens and auditorium across campus. Vent hoods are among the most energy intensive equipment on a college campus and usually remain on when not in use. Cooling systems count for 8 percent of the total energy used on campuses and they are always on, night and day (E Source Companies LLC, 2010).

Figure 2.1- Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (E Source Companies LLC, 2010).

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Turning things off or down when not in use is the best quick fix that could save thousands of dollars per year on electricity. In Japan after the shutdown of the nuclear plant due to the tsunami is March of 2011, by rationing electricity they were able to save over the amount needed each day to continue to run the country. Simply turning off lights in classrooms during the day was one of the ways they saved on electricity (Onishi, 2011). Turning off the lights at night in an unused classroom could save a college up to, and, in some cases more than, 1,000,000k watts per year, which is 100,000 on the utility bill annually. Turning off computers and office equipment when not in use would also save money. A single monitor can draw 100 watts of electricity per year if left on unnecessarily overnight and on weekends, which can add forty dollars to the annual energy bill per computer. Vent hood could only be used in the busiest times of day in the kitchens and could be turned off after use in the labs and auditorium. Cooling system setting needs to be coordinated with when classes are in the building or when a classroom has occupancy. In addition, settings need to be set for 76 in the summer and 69 in the winter to help save electricity (E Source Companies LLC, 2010). Expensive long-term solutions to energy conservation on a college campus are long term upgrades to the electrical components inside the building as well as the use of natural day lighting
Figure 2.2- T12 bulb compared to T8 bulb (Sares LLC, 2010).

and solar panels. An efficient lighting upgrade is one of the best energy saving upgrades a college can implement on a campus. Most colleges including ETSU use the T12 fluorescent lamp bulbs, which are not very energy efficient; upgrading these lamps with modern high-performance T8 lamps can reduce energy consumption by 40 percent (Sares LLC, 2010). Also adding sensors on all the lights in a building can double the savings in electricity per year and have a short payback period. Demand controlled ventilation systems can be place in labs, kitchens and auditorium across

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campus to save energy. The controlled ventilation turns on automatically only when it needs to be on, and back off if the kitchens, labs and auditorium are not in use (Schneider Electric, 2007). Colleges around the United States are investing in Energy Conservations project to help lower the cost of electricity and one that stands out from the rest would be Amherst College. Amherst College is one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The college reduced its carbon footprint through both renewable energy and energy conservation. Amherst College invested approximately 200,000 dollars in energy conservation projects ranging from lighting upgrades, which included new fixtures that use 10 percent of the energy used from older lights; Occupancy Control lighting that turn off the lights atomically. They also implemented premium efficiency motors, these new motors are 30 percent more efficient than the older motors and a building automation systems, which can adjust energy using equipment to optimize its performance. The 200,000 dollars used for energy conservation project on this college has a simple payback of only 2.3 years (Amherst College. N/A). Energy conservation methods vary quite a lot, depending on the type of energy that is considered. Electricity is probably the most obvious, however, even the amount of gasoline used to get us to and from campus can be reduced significantly with a few simple steps. In this portion of our presentation, we will examine several methods of conserving energy resources that could be applied here at ETSU with minimal cost or effort.

Ideal Changes for ETSU As we looked at in the previous section, there are many ways to reduce how much electricity we use on campus. Instead of simply reducing the amount of power we use, we should also consider how we might actually produce some of our own electricity to put back into the system. There are many methods of doing this; solar panels, windmills, hydroelectric generators, or ethanol burning power plants. All of these might take place on a small scale on our campus, as opposed to something like nuclear power, which requires far too much space for application in our

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL circumstance. Going Green

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Solar panels could easily fit on to the roof of any given building on campus, providing clean energy whenever the sun is shining. Backup batteries attached to these panels could capture any excess energy and store it until the demand increases. Windmills might also be constructed on the tops of campus buildings and provide virtually silent and completely clean electricity to supplement the solar panels. Hydroelectric power is slightly more problematic, as there is not sufficient existing water flow on or near campus to make this possible. However, building a lake at the highest possible elevation and allowing it to fill and discharge as the need arises might have the capabilities of providing enough water flow to power an electric generating turbine. Limiting Energy Consumption The areas of energy consumption in each building on campus varies greatly, for example research and computer labs will devote a very significant percentage of given power to running computers, cooling units, electrical equipment, etc. whereas a building like the Culp center will devote more power to heating, cooling and cooking equipment. In a computer lab, a huge amount of power is salvageable by simply turning off all or most of the computers during times they are not in use, i.e. between 11pm and 7am. This does not necessarily need to apply to all the computer labs, as some students will require the use of a computer between these times. The lab on the bottom floor of the library, for example, could remain open 24/7, but more than half of the given computers should shut down at a certain time to reduce power draw. These few remaining computers would more than satisfy the demand for computers between these times. Cooling systems use a tremendous amount of energy in large, public buildings. According to the research posted on michaelbluejay.com, reducing the amount of energy required by these cooling systems is quite simple; raising the set temperature of the thermostat can save 3-4% in electricity for every degree under 78. Therefore raising the temperature from 70 to 76 would save

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL about 24% of the electricity used by the cooling unit. Installation of programmable thermostats

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would also save money by eliminating the use of cooling or heating units all together during times when the building is unoccupied. By programming said thermostats for different settings for each day of the week would effectively cut down on cooling during the weekends when most of the buildings on campus are empty. Managing Efficiency for Buildings and the Population The campus buildings themselves are generally not very energy efficient; many of them date back to a time when air conditioning or energy efficiency did not gain consideration. The Association for Preservation Technology (APT) released a report detailing the energy consumption in historic campus buildings, based on type of energy demand. The chart on the next page shows where most of the energy is typically spent.

Figure 3- Electrical Consumption (kWh x 1,000) (Earth-easy, 2012).

Area lighting and cooling are the two biggest consumers. This is due to the fact that most of the lighting fixtures are not of efficient design, and the buildings are generally poorly insulated which allows heat in during summer months, and out during the winter. New LED light bulbs use about 1/30th of the energy required by traditional bulbs and produce about 3 BTU's per hour, compared to 80 for an incandescent bulb. Not only does the LED bulb use less power, it reduces the need for

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL room cooling as well (Earth-easy, 2012). Insulating an existing building is a rather tricky enterprise, especially a building with solid masonry construction (i.e. most of the building on

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campus). Adding insulation to the inside of the building reduces floor space, and takes away from the historic nature of the structure. However, according to the APT report, simply replacing single pane windows with gas-filled double pane and reflective windows can reduce heating and cooling costs by about 5.5% annually. Along with our historic buildings on campus exists a well-maintained arboretum. The upkeep of these trees requires quite a lot of water, sometimes more than the rain can provide. Rather than waste expensive city water on these trees, a rainwater collection system could be set up on the roof of the Mini-dome. With such a large area to collect from, tanks could easily enough capture and store rainwater for use in the drier summer months. This water does not have to go on the trees and grass however. A system installed on each building to capture rainfall and store it for use in flushing toilets or hand washing, or even filtered for drinking or showering is also a possibility. This would greatly reduce our consumption of water from the grid, saving both the cost, and the energy to pump it. One area of energy expenditure rarely considered is that of how much fuel we use in our vehicles going to and from, and even driving around on campus. Even as cars become more and more fuel efficient, we still waste quite a lot of gasoline sitting in traffic, idling with the AC on between classes, etc. Being that gasoline is a limited resource, we need to be doing everything we can to preserve it. Simple things such as taking off more slowly from stoplights, reducing overall speed, coasting to traffic lights to avoid having to stop, even reducing the weight of our cars by removing unnecessary junk from the trunk can help improve fuel economy. Carpooling is a great way to reduce fuel consumption, two people can get where they need to go while only using the gasoline of one vehicle. More carpooling parking places added on campus, and enforcing at least two people per vehicle in those spots, would encourage people to carpool rather than to just take a friend with them to get a carpool pass. Use of the Bucshot is a great way for people living on

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campus or at Bucridge or Campus Ridge to get to class, without having to drive individually. This is basically an expanded version of carpooling.

Possible Results If the research testing on the ETSU campus worked within a series of two years, the idea would be that the cost of both electricity and water would drop immensely. In this decrease in price, the amount of money not spent would go to paying for the conversions, which by the time the study ended would no longer cost anything. In this, the money saved from thereafter would pay for further conversions throughout the campus. However, if the study should fail and the conversions do not change the amount of money spent on energy usage, further conversions would not be necessary and a new plan of action would need to be rightfully determined. By previous research, the likelihood of the conversions failing to compensate themselves is doubtful, thus allowing for the decision that going green is the proper direction.

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL References

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Amherst College. (N/A). Energy conservation projects. Retrieved 8 April, 2012 from https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/greenamherst/energy_conservation

Culver, J. H., & Randall , B. (2005). Saving energy in historic buildings. APT Bulletin, 41(1)

E Source Companies LLC. (2010). Managing energy costs in colleges and universities. Retrieved 9 April, 2012 from http://www.touchstoneenergy.com/efficiency/bea/Documents/CollegeandUniversities.pdf

Earth-easy. (2012). Energy efficient lighting: LED and CFL information. Retrieved 12 April, 2012 from http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm

Gould, J. E. (2011, January 03). Is southern California finally getting serious about its water crisis? Times Magazine.

Kuhner, J., Lueke, D. F., Shapiro, M., & Meta Systems, Inc, United States. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development. Land Use and Comprehensive Planning Staff. (1979). Resource use and residuals generation in households (EPA 600/579-005)

McGuire, G. (2012, March 12). [Web log message]. Retrieved 15 April, 2012 from http://blog.etundra.com/going-green/low-flow-valve/

Michael. (2010, October). Saving on air conditioning and cooling. Retrieved 11 April, 2012 from

ENERGY CONSERVATION PROPOSAL http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cooling.html

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Onishi, N. (2011, July 29). In Shortage, Japanese Willingly Ration the Watts. New York Times, p. A1.

Platt, J. L. United States. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water (4204M). (2002). Cary, North Carolina: Cost-effective Conservation (EPA 832-B-02-003). Washington, DC.

Sares LLC. (2010). T12 to T8 lamp & ballast retrofits. Retrieved 17 April, 2012 from http://www.saresllc.com/lighting.html

Schneider Electric. (2007, January). Leading techniques for energy savings in colleges and universities. Retrieved 10 April, 2012 from http://www2.schneiderelectric.com/documents/buildings/lleading_techniques_for_energy_savings_in_colleges_an d_universities.pdf