University budget cuts and a drastic increase in natural gas prices have brought a sense of urgency to the need to conserve energy on campus.
This was evident in a university-wide e-mail that Ron Chapman, Ohio University's director of energy management, sent last week. In the message, he urged faculty, staff and students to reduce energy consumption, adding that natural gas prices are 60 to 65 percent higher this year than last, and that OU's coal supplier, Pioneer Coal, is predicting increases around 20 to 25 percent. The estimated effect is a $1 million to $1.2 million increase for those two fuels this fiscal year, he wrote.
(OU) is already in a budget cut; 17 staff members (from Facilities and Auxiliaries) have been cut and we are in reduction mode
Chapman said, adding he does not want to burden students with additional tuition increases or more cuts in programming or staff.
Last year OU spent about $1.1 million on coal and about $2.1 million on natural gas, but it could be worse, Chapman said. OU runs primarily on coal, which costs one-seventh the price of natural gas, saving OU $7 each time it chooses to use coal instead of natural gas, he said.
Last month, 80 percent of OU's energy came from coal.
Natural gas is only used when absolutely necessary, such as when there are large, immediate demands for energy, Chapman said. It takes two to four hours before coal energy is ready for use, while gas is instantaneous.
Other universities have felt the energy burn as well. The Ohio State University is about $8 million over its energy budget, said Wallace Giffen, energy programs manager for OSU. The larger university is run almost entirely on natural gas and has attempted to combat increasing energy prices by hedging, a process that involves following price trends and locking in a price when rates are low, Giffen said. OSU would be $21 million over budget if not for hedging, he said.
OU is not hedging natural gas because it is trying to use as little natural gas as possible, Chapman said. To further this goal, a new filtration system will be installed in June at the Lausche Heating Plant in Athens so all three coal boilers can run simultaneously. Right now, only two are able to run at a time because of Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
Energy conserving initiatives on campus now include the annual Residence Hall Challenge and Energy Week, the changing of light fixtures and faucets to economy-friendly ones, preventive maintenance and occasional appeals to the university community for restraining energy use.
The recent request for reduction asked students and staff to turn thermostats down to 68 degrees. Although the temperatures could be reduced automatically, Chapman said he hopes for voluntary support and compliance from the university community.
It has worked before. Turning down the temperature by even one degree between the 60- to 70-degree range saves about 5 percent in the total heating bill. When a similar appeal was sent out this past June, the rate of electrical use dropped by 10 percent 45 minutes after the e-mail request was sent, Chapman said.
The reality of it is if we can reduce temperatures by just a few degrees and get compliance across campus we can save a lot
he said.
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