Students 'Rock Out' for energy conservation awareness

The blustery weather on the afternoon of October 25 certainly didn’t keep TCNJ students inside their dorms, huddled around energy-zapping space heaters.  Instead, a large congregation gathered in front of the Travers-Wolfe residence halls to “rock out with the power out.”

The “Energize: Rock Out with the Power Out” event was the Office of Residential and Community Development’s way of supporting the campus-wide “Knowledge is Power” campaign, an energy conservation awareness initiative that the College introduced last December to help address the rising cost of energy.

Students coming and going from Travers and Wolfe were encouraged to sign a banner to show their commitment to conserving energy and fuel.  Those who signed the pledge received a rubber bracelet and free hot beverages—an energy-efficient and power-free method of beating the cold. They also had the chance to enjoy live, outdoor, electricity-free acoustic entertainment.

Just like last year, the success of “Knowledge is Power” depends on campus participation in four major conservation efforts:

• Office and building thermostats will be set at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  Building occupants are encouraged to remove all items that block heating registers, radiators, and baseboard-radiation strips to allow proper heating distribution and air circulation, and to keep doors and windows closed when the heat is on.

• The usage of space heaters will be limited.  (Guidelines for using space heaters on campus are located at www.tcnj.edu/energy.)

• Building occupants are requested to adopt a “10-Minute Lighting Guideline,” and turn off the lights if a room is to be unoccupied for more than 10 minutes.  Additionally, when natural light is sufficient, electrical lighting should be turned off.

• All electrical equipment, such as computers, monitors, printers, scanners, copiers, and other office/lab equipment, should be turned off when not in use for extended periods of time, especially evening, overnight, and weekend periods.  Instead of relying on screen savers, computer users should set their machines to sleep mode.  In general, the number of electrical appliances in use should be consolidated when possible, and turned off when not in use.

Since the College implemented the “Knowledge is Power” program last winter, the school saved $479,000 in fiscal year 2006 and nearly $200,000 iso far in fiscal year 2007, according to an e-mail distributed by the Office of Public Affairs. Anticipating a trend, the 2007 budget includes more than half a million dollars in potential energy savings.  The school’s monthly progress can be tracked at www.tcnj.edu/energy, and thoughts and suggestions with Lori Winyard, director of energy and central utilities, at on-campus extension 2353 or via e-mail at winyard@tcnj.edu.

With such outstanding success thus far, the College plans to keep “Knowledge is Power” in effect indefinitely.  For more information and all of the energy saving tips, visit www.tcnj.edu/energy.