Willamette University is a nationally renowned private liberal arts university in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, Willamette is the first university established in the western U.S. and has become a national leader in sustainability and civic engagement. Our beautiful historic campus is located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol   and co-located with Tokyo International University of America. It features a residential undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences and two professional graduate schools: the College of Law and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management.

Mission/Purpose

  • This policy identifies energy efficiency and conservation as a significant issue for the entire campus community and outlines steps to reach the energy goals of the University. This is a policy that will be consistent with providing optimal learning, teaching, and working environments.
  • The University commits to efficiently manage and reduce the consumption of energy whenever possible through the active efforts of the staff, faculty and students.

Expectations

  • It is vital that the campus community embraces the importance of this energy policy and the need for energy conservation.
  • Occupants of campus facilities will be encouraged to support energy conservation efforts

Goals and performance metrics

  • Our institutional goal is to reduce each energy source use by 3-5% per year through active management tools listed in the scope section below.
  • The University measures our electrical consumption by kWh per sq. foot and our natural gas use by BTU’s per sq. foot. The University tracks energy usage utilizing a campus wide building automation system (BAS) to monitor installed kWh and BTU meters. The data is then tracked through trending and the use of our Siemens Advantage Navigator system which tracks the usage and provides monthly reports to Facilities Management staff.
  • The University will actively participate in energy reducing programs such as the ETO’s Strategic Energy Management program and PGE’s Energy Partner curtailment program. These programs are designed to assist the University in identifying, managing and saving energy by the use of performance tracking tools and curtailment strategies.

 Scope

  • All campus buildings and utilities will be covered by this policy.
  • The University’s Energy Policy and efficiency efforts will be managed by the Facilities Management Team who will identify deficiencies and manage compliance.
  • New construction and renovations to campus facilities, whether major or minor will adhere to a minimum of LEED Silver standards for energy efficient equipment and design.
  • Building automation and lighting controls will be employed where feasible to provide optimum control of energy consumption.
  • Preventive maintenance procedures will be implemented to obtain optimal energy efficient operation of equipment.
  • All new construction and major renovations will include energy metering.
  • The University will explore methods to fund energy efficiency and conservation projects which can be structured to pay for themselves.
  • The University will make efforts to direct energy conservation savings, rebates, and incentives to fund additional energy conservation measures.
  • The University will continue to raise campus energy awareness by encouraging student, staff, and faculty participation, feedback and communication.
  • The University will attempt to buy a percentage of its power from environmentally clean sources as defined by the individual utilities resource profile.

Guidelines/Procedures

General

  • Campus building occupants are expected to turn off lights, computers, printers, copiers, close windows and doors, , during unoccupied hours, weekends, and holidays.
  • It is vital that the campus community accepts temperature guidelines for heating, cooling, and lighting of classrooms, offices, and general use areas.
  • Energy efficient products should be purchased whenever possible. U.S. EPA Energy Star products have been adopted as the standard.

Heating

  • The heating season starts around Oct. 1st and runs to May 15th depending on the weather.
    • Heating set points will be 68 – 72 degrees during occupied hours. This is accomplished using the campus Building Automation System (BAS) and setting local thermostats and locking them.
    • Heating system lockouts (shutdowns) will occur when the outside air temperature reaches a predetermined set point (typically 64-66 degrees)
    • During unoccupied times, weekends and holidays the BAS and programmable thermostats will be is programmed to lower the temperature setback to 60 – 65 degrees depending on the building.
    • Residence hall heating systems are enabled on 24/7 during the heating season.
    • Heating for academic purposes will be provided on weekends and off hours as needed. The BAS is scheduled weekly on Monday using the campus scheduling program database.
    • Portable heaters are not energy efficient and can pose a safety risk if tipped. Therefore they are not allowed unless special circumstances dictate. Facilities should be notified if a comfortable temperature cannot be maintained in a room or office, so the problem can be addressed.

Cooling

  • The cooling season begins in May and runs to October depending on the weather.
  • Cooling set points will be 72-76 degrees during occupied hours. This is accomplished using the campus BAS and setting local thermostats and locking them.
  • Cooling system lockouts (shutdowns) will occur when the outside air temperature reaches a predetermined set point (typically 58-60 degrees) and allow free cooling with outside air to occur.
  • During unoccupied times, weekends and holidays the BAS and programmable thermostats will be is programmed to allow the temperature to rise to 80 – 82 degrees depending on the building.
  • Reheat coils will be bypassed whenever feasible during the cooling season to avoid the excessive energy use associated with reheating mechanically cooled air.
  • Cooling for academic purposes or conferences will be provided on weekends and off hours as needed. The campus BAS is scheduled every Monday using the campus scheduling program database.
  • Portable coolers and “window shakers” are not allowed unless special circumstances dictate. Facilities should be notified if a room or office temperature cannot be maintained, so the problem can be addressed.

Lighting

Lighting Level Requirements:
  • Lighting levels will be designed and maintained such that illumination levels fall within a given range, according to the space type. Average lighting levels are not to fall below the range’s lower limit and not to exceed the range’s upper limit. This is to assure all spaces are adequately lit but are not over-lit. The ranges apply to all working areas in a space, and should be sustained throughout lamp life. The following foot candle (fc) ranges are derived primarily from IESNA recommended levels and NCAA gymnasium/sports field lighting recommendations.
    • Classrooms – 30-70 foot-candles (fc)
    • Science Labs – 50-70 fc
    • Offices & conference rooms – 30-50 fc
    • Computer Labs – 3-30 fc
    • Libraries – 30-50 fc
    • Reception areas & lounges – 20 fc
    • Corridors/Common Space – 10-20 fc
    • Kitchens – 30-50 fc
    • Cafeterias – 10 - 20 fc
    • General and other areas – 10 - 20 fc
    • Mechanical rooms – 20-50 fc
    • Gymnasiums (recreational) – 30-50 fc
    • Gymnasiums (competition) – 50-100 fc
    • Gymnasiums (NCAA broadcasting) 100-150 fc
    • Pools and Natatoriums – 5-50 fc
    • Athletic Fields – 45-75 fc
  • Lighting controls including daylight, dimming and occupancy sensors should be included where appropriate in all new, renovation and retrofit construction projects.
    • Occupants should contact Facilities for special lighting assessment needs.
  • Facilities will implement lighting upgrades from fluorescent and incandescent to LED as time and budget allow.
    • Athletic field lights should only be operated when needed.

Computers and office equipment.

  • Computers, monitors, printers, copiers, and other electronic equipment should be set to energy saving mode during all hours.
    • Classroom & conference room projectors should be turned off when not in use.
  • Office equipment should be Energy Star rated. This logo, part of an U.S. EPA program ensures that the energy consumption of a machine is reduced when not in use.
Willamette University

Facilities Management

Address
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.
Phone
503-370-6003

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