Watch for Energy Conservation Action Day announcements on days with extreme temperatures, humidity

Summer is heating up, and the campus community can play a key role in saving energy, keeping indoor spaces comfortable and ensuring utility services run well. Purdue Administrative Operations is asking faculty, staff and students to take action when the forecast calls for extreme temperatures and high humidity levels. 

During the hottest and most humid summer days, demand for chilled water and electricity increases, putting a strain on the university’s utility systems.

To combat excessive energy consumption and to keep campus buildings cool and operating at peak efficiency, Administrative Operations will declare Energy Conservation Action Days when specific actions are necessary from the campus community.

With energy demand expected to exceed capacity this summer and fall, faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to take the steps below to help the university conserve energy, maintain comfortable spaces and keep campus utilities running efficiently. These actions are especially important when Energy Conservation Action Days are declared:

• If possible, consider re-scheduling research activities for cooler parts of the day or different days of the week.
  Close fume hood sashes completely when not in use to reduce the amount of conditioned air that’s exhausted.
• If you can adjust the thermostat in your space, increase it by a few degrees to reduce air conditioning demand.
• Close windows, blinds and doors to prevent heat from entering.
• Turn off lights when rooms are unoccupied to reduce electricity use and eliminate the heat given off by the lights.
• Turn off and unplug any unused equipment/devices to reduce electricity use.
• Eliminate or reduce indoor heat sources including autoclaves, lasers and ovens, especially during the hottest hours of the day.

To mitigate the impact, Administrative Operations invests in additional utilities capacity during the warmer months. However, on days with extreme temperatures and humidity, campus demand can still exceed this capacity, resulting in warmer buildings and less efficient operations.

Energy Conservation Action Days will be communicated to the campus community via a direct email from Administrative Operations. For more information on this initiative, please contact Mita Juristyarini, assistant director of research safety, at pjuristy@purdue.edu.

Additionally, the National Center for Environmental Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides tips to avoid heat-related illness on their website.