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sustainability at southern:

Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Energy Purchasing

Campus Energy Efficiency upgrades: In the past five years, Southern has made extensive energy efficiency upgrades both in existing buildings and in new construction.  

Operational since 2003, Southern's Campus Energy Center, which heats nearly the entire campus, runs on ultra-low sulfur fuel and heats the campus 40% more efficiently than the system it replaced. Southern also replaced the underground piping which distributed heat throughout campus to minimize heat loss. Campus heating and cooling are now centrally controlled with a DDC energy management system which measures, monitors, and controls Btu and electrical use for each building on campus. By moderating indoor building temperatures throughout the year with the DDC system, Southern conserves thousands of gallons of fossil fuels each year.

High efficiency lighting (LED and T-8 fluorescent) as well as motion detecting on/off switches throughout many campus buildings have created substantial energy efficiency gains. Though they are initially more expensive to purchase and install, LED and fluorescent lighting are typically 60-80% more efficient than incandescent lighting. The university will continue to aggressively retrofit buildings with these fixtures over the next five years, and incorporate them into all future new construction. Pelz Gymnasium and Moore Field House are scheduled for efficiency lighting retrofits in the present academic year.

Other energy efficiency upgrades throughout campus include more efficient doors and windows, high efficiency HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, A/C), low flow bathroom fixtures, and electrical upgrades. Extensive improvements to insulation in Brownell Hall are planned in the next year, and in Farnham, Wilkinson, and Chase Halls within the next five years.

These efficiency gains are critical to reducing Southern's energy footprint in preparation for future on-campus renewable energy installations and purchasing a higher percentage of campus elecrticity from renewable energy sources.

Conservation: Southern will not meet the Climate Commitment without strong conservation efforts from within the community. Individual efforts to use less electricity are VERY IMPORTANT! Turning off lights, shutting down computers, printers, televisions, unplugging cellphone and ipod rechargers, and reducing hot water use all add up to major energy savings.

In coming months, Southern will be introducing energy conservation initiatives in many areas of campus life. In addition to energy and water conservation, reducing the amount of paper used at Southern is a priority. If you have ideas or would like to become more involved, please click Contact Us in the left sidebar.

Energy Purchasing: Southern currently purchases 15% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. In coming years, this percentage will rise significantly. Between 2001 and 2004, Southern changed its primary heating source from #2 fuel oil to natural gas, which has lowered greenhouse gas emissions. In December of 2009, an updated Campus Energy Inventory will be complete, and results will be available on this website.