Energy Conservation at Siena College

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing

the impossible”-St. Francis of Assisi

Presented by:Kristen Glass, Devin RigolinoMichael Savage, Matthew Spargo,and Amanda Stasiewicz

Adding to the Plan…

• Siena College is currently already undergoing major reconstructions that will further develop our community over the next several years.• These reconstructions are known as the 2011-2016 Strategic Plan.• A key component of this plan is to develop a physical base master plan, making sustainability a priority.• Adding to this priority of the strategic plan would be an effort to increase energy efficiency throughout the campus as a whole.

What Should We Do, and Why Should We Do it?

• Currently, Siena College’s energy policies and actions are not as efficient, sustainable, nor as affordable as they could be.• Necessary changes in Siena’s energy policies &community behavior, can result in:• A more resourceful college community• Strengthening the success of the previously

mentioned Strategic Plan• Strengthening our mission as a Franciscan institution

• Benefits of creating a more energy efficient community include:• A potential increase in student application and

enrollment• An eventual decrease in energy costs • Raising Siena’s Reputation among competing colleges

and universities• Living out our Franciscan mission• Decreasing Siena’s carbon footprint• Preparing our students to live more sustainable and

environmentally conscious lives

Our Mission Statement We wish to foster Franciscan values and

environmental awareness in the students of Siena by energizing them and

providing them with a channel through which they can unite to make a positive

difference in our community and our world through the reduction of wasteful

behavior and energy consumption as well as financially benefiting Siena College.

What Other Colleges and Universities Are Doing Now

• University of Colorado• University of Michigan• University of Victoria• Harvard University• Boston College • University of Dayton • University of Idaho

• College of the Atlantic• Luther College • Hudson Valley Community College• SUNY at Albany • College of St. Rose • Union College • Syracuse University

Our Neighbor Schools Hudson Valley Community College: 

Has the goal to reduce campus electric demand and usage by 10 percent using fiscal year 2003 as a baseline. Plans for this reduction include: a gradual switch to CFL lighting throughout campus, as well as an increase in motion detectors throughout campus buildings.

SUNY Albany:As part of their Energy Campaign, Students can bring any

old incandescent bulbs and exchange them for more energy efficient CFL's that help save energy at the quad office. The university has also been awarded a grant to install solar panels on its campus which will reduce energy costs by several thousands of dollars each year.

Union College: Workers recently installed three 1.2 kilowatt wind

turbines, a key step in the College’s sustainability efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The turbines will supply 40 percent of the power used regularly at the athletic complex, including for lights and the scoreboard, reducing the College’s energy costs by several thousands of dollars each year.

Syracuse University• Syracuse University is one of the most proactive institutions in the state in dealing with energy conservation• Campus Sustainability Committee

• Green Energy• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

(LEED)• “Light’s Out” Campaign

• Their Campus Sustainability committee has garnered national attention• Stresses the impact of the individual and student involvement• Students’ participation in the committee allows for direct contact with the student community• Students are constantly exposed to and reminded of sustainable practices as evident with their recently initiated “Light’s Out Campaign.”

Harvard University • Resource Efficiency Program (REP) • The program positions an assigned student as an environmental liaison to each dormitory who spreads environmentally conscious behaviors throughout the residential unity. • The dormitory focus is sensible given that 98% of Harvard undergraduates live in dorms. • The Harvard Green Cup Competition • A method for monitoring of energy consumption.• Awards a cash prize to the residence with the largest

energy reductions relative to the building's three year average consumption.

• The program choice allows student to adopt energy saving measures to be integrated into their lifestyles both on campus and post graduation. 

• A similar model program is currently instated at Boston College• Campus-wide NRG Games

University at Dayton• Dayton reduced electric energy use 4.8 percent by upgrading lighting systems, even removing lights without compromising brightness , installing occupancy sensor switch off lights, closing buildings not used as much during the summer, and programming thermostats and heating and cooling systems to optimize savings.• In all, the University saved $612,329.• Jim Blevins believes the University can shave 10 percent, or $1 million, off its total energy bill• This academic year, the students in the University's more than 600 units in the student neighborhoods will receive statements showing electric, gas and water usage• The students estimated the University could save another $142,000 a year if students adopted more conservation measures

Luther College• Similar to Siena in size, liberal arts background and religiously based • Great model for Siena

• Get the student emotionally involved early on through the implementation of Student Energy Conservation Pledges• Good decisions depend on good information.  • Installed additional electric meters so that all

the main campus buildings are now metered separately

• Luther is also purchasing measurement and verification services and a web-based interactive feedback tool• Appealing to Students competiveness through on campus competitions as well as competitions with Colleges and Universities across the nation

Current Energy Usage Policy at Siena College

• The New Residence Hall is the only dorming unit on campus that is metered separately. • Townhouses 1-42 are individually metered and Townhouses 101-166 are metered by building.  • The present annual electricity bill for Siena College Campus is between $1.8 and $2 million. • Across campus many classrooms, offices,  staff rooms, hallways, and common areas are equipped with motion sensors to control lighting. Although it is difficult to determine the quantity of areas utilizing this application campus wide, the costs on a simple installation of these sensors is about $55.00.• On campus lighting utilizes many different lighting options. Presence of various lighting on campus is estimated as follows:

• incandescent lighting: 5%• fluorescent: 75%• other: 20%

Future Policy Options for Siena College

• The Graphical Users Interface (GUI) in the New Residential Hall was part of the package provided by the controls contractor. If it was to be purchases separately, the cost would be approximately 10 K• $2,500.00 for software• $2,500.00 for hardware• $5,000.00 for associated costs and labor

• If applied to all the residential dorms on campus, the cost would drop because the software only needs to be purchased once. • The associated costs and hardware costs would be similar to the previous cost estimate.• Public information and behavioral changes

Our Five Year Plan• Increase overall sustainability and decrease overall excessive energy usage/waste on our campus.• The creation of the Energy Conservation Organization at Siena College• ECO@Siena

• This Organization will be similar to Fair Trade Program • The organization will hold certain events, campaigns, or initiatives that the general student body can get involved in. • The first campaign that the ECO@Siena will advocate for will be called the “It’s More Fun in the Dark Campaign” in an effort to address the issue of electrical/light energy usage on our campus.

"It's More Fun in the Dark"

A Campaign to Decrease Siena College’s Electrical and Light Energy Usage

Our Initiatives and Programs• Energy Conservation Pledges and Steps• Presentations at Freshmen Orientation• Dorm Wars• Building Dashboard Site

http://www.competetoreduce.org./http://www.luciddesigngroup.com/network/features.php/http://www.buildingdashboard.net/luther/

Links

Economic Benefits

By implementing the above mentioned/ proposed policies Siena can potentially save up to a max of

million dollars a yearThe total cost of implementation would cost

approximately $100,000

Final ThoughtsThe benefits from implementing the Energy Conservation Organization at Siena College will improve our campus community:• Spiritually• Socially• Economically

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing

the impossible”-St. Francis of Assisi

Energy Use for Lightinghttp://policyoptions.pbworks.com/w/page/38766398/Energy-Use-for-Lighting

More Information Please Visit

Outline Scope of the Problem –

Problem/Context Goal Statement - Our Mission What does Siena Do now

Current cost, etc. What other College/Universities

do Case Studies

What will be our Plan 5 year plan How it fits in with Franciscan

Tradition Initiatives/programs How much can cost be reduced

Conclusion/Answer Questions