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During November and December, Facilities Management implemented a 2-degree setback pilot program in several buildings on campus. This pilot program is one of many ideas that have been inspired by the Climate Action Plan and the 10X12 Program, both of which are closely tied to university-wide budget reduction strategies.
With collaborative efforts between FM and the Office of Sustainability, and crucial support and participation from members of the Western community, the University successfully lowered the base daytime temperature in the majority of on-campus, state-funded buildings to 2-degrees below the previous winter's setting, with 68 degrees being the target minimum. In order to be as accurate as possible with such a finite reduction, the project leaders chose building areas that are connected to computer-automated climate-control systems. Buildings with manual climate adjustment controls were not included in the pilot project but they may be rolled into a campus-wide initiative if the Degree Set-back program becomes a regular part of Western's operations. Nighttime heating setbacks were included in the pilot wherever practical.
Initial savings estimates for the approximate 2-degree adjustment were in the neighborhood of $42,000 dollars annually, and 10 percent less natural gas consumption overall during cold weather months. Utility monitoring data for November and December shows that the total drop in natural gas expenditures was over $15,000 dollars and a 13 percent drop in natural gas use for a two month period, suggesting that annual savings may be higher than the original estimates. Colder winter temperatures were taken into account for savings calculations, and several other minor changes to building operations were made during the 2-degree setback testing period, but FM Energy Management staff attributes almost all of the savings to the setback.
The OS and the FM Energy Management Team are providing information and guidelines and tips for maintaining comfort and function while minimizing energy-waste on the OS website at www.wwu.edu/sustain/10x12. 