Energy Conservation Program Introduces New Guidelines
FSCJ’s Energy Conservation Program (ECP) is making a significant impact on the electrical energy consumption and on the bottom line of reducing utility costs.
Compared to three years ago, the Collegewide monthly consumption for the 2016 fiscal year has been reduced by an average of 868,805 kilowatt hours and an average of $76,800 in monthly utility savings. That is equivalent to operating an entire Downtown Campus or South Campus location for one month.
The program’s energy guidelines establish standard procedures for the use and operation of the College’s buildings as it relates to energy consumption. Its goal is to create a more comfortable environment for faculty, staff and students.
These guidelines include improving indoor air quality throughout the College and eliminating the need for space heaters. The Energy Conservation Program’s recent progress is reflected in the following graph.
Most of FSCJ’s buildings and HVAC systems were designed to provide 75-degree air in the summer and 68 to 70-degree temperatures in colder months. In recent years, some of the College’s buildings have operated over a wide range of temperatures, including below 68 degrees in the summer time.
Operating a building well below the designed range creates many side effects, including an unnecessarily high utility bill. The reduced energy consumption levels throughout the College are represented on the following cost comparison graph.
According to the ECP, one personal space heater provides as much heat as 10 to 12 people doing light office work. In areas where space heaters are used, the extra heat load “fools” the Building Automation System. This creates a domino effect in which the system cools the space even further, instead of increasing supply air temperature.
As a result, the HVAC system constantly runs on high cooling and reheats the space, resulting in high energy use. The College is working to correct the problem by operating the system in its designed range and removing the HVAC system’s unnecessary extra load.
If you continue to experience uncomfortable temperatures in your working space, the College wants your feedback. Please inform the Facility Maintenance Department if you experience any problems.