Energy Conservation Tips (provided by TAMU Office of Energy Management)

It is important that we all work together to conserve energy and natural resources on and off campus.  The monetary and environmental costs affect faculty, staff, AND students.  Here are some ways to help:

• At the office
• At the Residence Halls
• At home

At the Office

• Close shades or blinds when it is warm to reduce solar heat gain. Open them when you are cool or need natural lighting.
• Use a light jacket or sweater to help take the chill off.
• Use a portable fan when you are warm.
• Do not use a portable space heater when you are cool. Portable space heaters are prohibited in Texas A&M buildings. Space heaters are considered a fire hazard and may cause problems with adjacent computer equipment.
• Keep outside doors and windows closed.
• Turn off lights in a space whenever it will be unoccupied for more than 5 minutes.
• Turn off equipment not being used, including computers, monitors, coffee makers, copiers, printers and fax machines.
• Turn off lights and equipment, including copiers, printers, faxes, computers and other office equipment, during nights and weekends.
• Have the building proctor develop assignments to manually turn-off lights when not in use.
• Adopt a last person out policy.  The last person leaving labs, lecture rooms, offices and meeting rooms should be responsible for turning off lights and equipment.
• Conserve water by reporting leaky faucets and running toilets.
• Report uncomfortable building conditions to the appropriate area maintenance shop.
• Report water or energy waste to the appropriate area maintenance shop.
• Laboratory workers should keep fume hood sashes at minimum working height after set-up.
• When purchasing PCs, monitors, fax machines and copiers, look for the Energy Star models.
• Implement paper reducing strategies such as double-sided printing and using e-mail instead of sending memos and faxes.  Saving paper saves energy because it takes 10 times more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than it does to put an image on it.
• Campus thermostats will be set to predetermined temperatures as specified by the utility committee.  Area Maintenance should be contacted if a thermostat needs to be adjusted.

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At the Residence Halls

• Become aware of the costs for air conditioning, heating, appliances and other equipment.
• Use a light jacket or sweater to help take the chill off during heating months.
• Use a portable fan when you are warm during the cooling months.
• Do not use a portable space heater when you are cool.  Portable space heaters are prohibited in Texas A&M buildings.  Space heaters are considered a fire hazard and may cause problems with adjacent computer equipment.
• Turn off lights, computers, printers, coffee makers, television, VCR, DVD, radios and other equipment when not in use.
• Wear heavier clothes in the winter and lighter clothes in the summer.
• Use low flow control settings on air conditioners whenever leaving the room for an extended period of time, such as evenings and weekends.
• Set thermostats and humidistats to comfortable settings.  Do not set settings to the extreme.
• Turn everything off while you are gone for the winter break, spring break, summer break, holidays and weekends.
• Wash and dry full loads of clothing and clean lint filters after each use.
• Conserve water by taking short showers.
• Conserve water by not leaving water running while brushing your teeth.
• Rinse your razor in a sink filled with a few inches of water.  You can rinse your blade just as easily as with running water and a lot less wastefully.
• Conserve water by reporting leaky faucets and running toilets.
• Do not use toilets as a trashcan.  Each time you flush trash down the toilet you waste up to seven gallons of water.
• Report energy waste to Resident Hall Managers.

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At Home

• Raise your air conditioner thermostat from 72F to 78F degrees to save as much as 18% on cooling.
• Lower your heater thermostat to 68F degrees.
• Replace the return air filter at least once a month.
• Wear lighter clothing and use fans during the cooling season.
• Wear heavier clothing during the heating season and lower the heater’s thermostat setting.
• Close shades or blinds when it is warm to reduce solar heat gain.  Open them when you are cool.
• Use lower wattage and fluorescent bulbs and turn off lights when not in use.
• Do heat producing tasks (cooking, laundry, dishwashing) in early morning or late evening during the summer months.
• Turn off lights, computers, coffee maker, television, DVD, VCR, radios and other equipment when not in use.
• Open windows and use fans instead of air conditioning on cooler days.
• Set the water heater’s temperature between 110 and 120 degrees.  (Electric water heaters require that both elements be reset – unplug first!)
• Install an insulation blanket on the water heater.
• Use a timer to turn off the water heater when it is not in use.
• Use your microwave rather than your oven whenever possible.
• Check weather stripping on doors and window and replace or repair when necessary.
• Caulk penetrations and around windows.
• Check the attic insulation.  R-30 is recommended for this area.
• Wash and dry full loads of clothing and clean lint filters after each use.
• Wash only full loads in the dishwasher.
• Perform a maintenance service check on your heating and cooling system annually.
• A programmable thermostat will automatically coordinate a home’s temperature with daily, weekend and nighttime patterns to increase comfort and savings.
• Conserve water by taking short showers.
• Conserve water by not leaving water running while brushing your teeth.
• Conserve water by repairing leaky faucets and running toilets.
• Do not over water the lawn.

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