UHM Facilities Management
MANOA GREEN DAYS - Pilot Plan to "Power Down" Buildings During Non-peak Usage Periods
First Pilot: December 24, 2008 through January 4, 2009
From: Virginia S. Hinshaw, Chancellor
As the University of Hawai'i's flagship campus and leading research institution, UH Manoa must exercise leadership in preserving our environment and modeling ways to operate in a sustainable manner.
In addition, our campus is facing an unprecedented situation created by recent dramatic increases in energy prices and a significant downturn in our state's economy. About 60% of our total utility bill can be attributed to our air handling systems. Clearly, targeting air handling systems provides the biggest return in savings and potential for improving energy efficiency.
With classes not in session during the holiday season, we are proposing a pilot volunteer program which we are calling Manoa Green Days during which we will turn off air-conditioning (A/C) in buildings whose occupants choose to participate in this program.
For Deans/Directors who choose to participate, we will turn off or significantly reduce the A/C in certain buildings and request that all lights, computers and other power-drawing equipment be shut off.
As we move forward in this pilot program, we must remember that UH Manoa is a State agency providing public service and functions as a research-intensive institution. In achieving that mission, many of our programs operate on a 24/7 basis. While it is clear that we must continue to support the research enterprise and be accessible to the public, it is also clear that the pattern of our workload changes given the student semester and holiday calendar. This changing demographic allows us the opportunity to analyze workflow and patterns to see if there is an opportunity to expand our program of powering down buildings.
Manoa Green Days is a pilot program and we are requesting everyone's assistance and cooperation in helping us address the efficient use of energy and resources while maintaining our duties as a public institution. We will assess the results and determine if more measures can be taken not only during the Winter Break, but also in the Spring Break and summer months, as well.
PILOT DETAILS
The UH Manoa website homepage (http://www.uhm.hawaii.edu/) will post the details of the Manoa Green Days pilot program and will list the buildings participating in the pilot. This web site will also contain instructions on how our community can provide comments about the success and challenges they faced in participating in this pilot program. After completion of this pilot, we will provide an assessment of our efforts so that we can all learn collectively and that our efforts are documented for future purposes.
"Power Down" Specifics
For those Deans/Directors who wish to participate in our "power down" pilot program, the following are the specifics. (1) We will "power-down" buildings to minimize the use of electrical power for air-conditioning, interior lights and other miscellaneous systems. (2) Building safety systems, elevators and lighting systems will continue to operate, if needed. (3) External building lighting will continue to operate normally. (4) Buildings which have reduced central air-conditioning will be monitored on a daily basis for temperature and humidity.
Responsibilities
Facilities Management Office: Staff will monitor and walk through those buildings which have reduced air-conditioning, including classrooms, offices, and file rooms, except for already restricted research areas, and monitor for mold or other problem situations. In addition, during this time, data will be gathered to determine if cost reductions have taken place in comparison to last year's expenditures for the same period.
UH Manoa Human Resources: For staff employees, we encourage Supervisors to allow as many staff members to voluntarily take vacation or Leave Without Pay, as appropriate, during this period. If a building is shared with multiple colleges/schools/programs, we would ask that you work together to have those staff members who remain at work to more effectively limit their use of electricity or to work in common areas, thereby, reducing electricity consumption in individual offices. Adjustments to individual work assignments, as approved by the Dean/Director, may be authorized, so long as work productivity, service requirements and accountability are clearly delineated. If further assistance is needed to find an appropriate location for those staff members who will be working, please contact Peggy S. Hong, Director of UHM Human Resources, for assistance (peggyh@hawaii.edu; 808-956-3028).
9-month faculty members or 11-month faculty members who teach shall remain on-duty and fulfill their duties and responsibilities during this winter break, pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement. With regard to faculty who are Faculty Specialists, Librarian, Agents or Researchers, their work assignments and office locations will be identified and coordinated through each Dean's Office. As the work requirements and expectations for faculty members are different from those of staff employees, some Faculty members may take vacation, while others may work in other locations, as appropriate. If a building is powered-down and access is required, we would ask that electricity be minimally utilized.
Deans & Directors: Deans/Directors are responsible for the overall decision to participate in the "power down", in coordination with other Deans/Directors in shared buildings. Deans/Directors must communicate effectively with faculty and staff - encouraging their advice and suggestions - to ensure that -the school/college/program accounts for its responsibilities as a public institution to students, public and the university community while participating in the Manoa Green Days pilot, as appropriate. It is recognized that some schools/colleges/programs or portions, thereof, may not be able to participate due to obligations and responsibilities to students, public and/or the university community.
PERSPECTIVE ON ENERGY COSTS
In less than one year, the cost for electricity has risen over 60% from 16 cents a kilowatt hour to over 26 cents a kilowatt hour and the State's tourism base has decreased by 17%.
Our Facilities Management Office has worked aggressively over the past five (5) years to reduce the overall usage of energy on our campus. Through their efforts in air-conditioning upgrades, improved time-of-day controls, and powering down (shutting off the air handling systems) during weekends and breaks, we have achieved a 12% reduction in usage since 2003. However, given the significant rise in the cost of fuel, we have been unable to make headway controlling the escalating costs. For this 2008-2009 fiscal year alone, we are projecting a $6 million increase in our electricity costs.
While energy costs are expected to flatten over the next several quarters, it is not clear that the State's economy will recover as quickly. In order to help meet the fiscal challenges that lie ahead, the Manoa campus must aggressively expand our efforts in terms of achieving energy efficiencies by looking deeper into potential utility savings opportunities. Thus, we are looking at investigating and targeting additional energy saving opportunities that may be implemented in the near term to minimize our escalating costs.
A first step in managing our electricity consumption is understanding our total energy usage, daily patterns and the mechanical system nuances of each building. The Facilities Management Office has put together a spreadsheet which shows daily utility usage building by building. This list can be found on their web site (http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/ovcafo/FacilitiesManage/fm_statusreports.htm). As they gather more detailed information about each building, it will be added to this web site. We appreciate your review and comments on these data as the project moves forward. As a very rough order of magnitude estimate, we have projected that approximately 60% of our total utility bill can be attributed to our air handling systems. Clearly, targeting air handling systems would give us the biggest return in savings.
Contact Information: Since the details of "powering down" will differ from building to building and program by program, please contact Assistant Vice Chancellor David Hafner (hafner@hawaii.edu; 956-4636) no later than December 11, 2008, if your school/college/program is interested in participating in the Manoa Green Days pilot program. Specific building details will be provided at that time. Should you have questions or concerns regarding other aspects of this pilot program, please call the following as appropriate:
Health and Safety: Emma Kennedy; ekennedy@hawaii.edu; 956-3204
Campus Security: Neal Sakamoto; nealos@hawaii.edu; 956-8310
Electrical Management: Dan Furuya; dfuruya@hawaii.edu; 956-9276
Human Resources: Peggy S. Hong; peggyh@hawaii.edu; 956-3028
We appreciate your consideration of conserving power on our campus while balancing our public service responsibilities as a State agency and exemplifying our leadership role as an institution of higher learning and research.
Page Maintained By: IT Staff - UHM Facilities Management
This page last modified on December 22, 2008
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