Energy Conservation
The Pacific Northwest enjoys some of the lowest electric rates in the country thanks to our hydroelectric system. Still, 60% of our energy is derrived from natural gas and coal, finite resources that contribute to global climate disruption. Together, members of the PCC community are working to reduce energy use.
What you can do:
- Turn off lights in unused spaces. Turning fluorescent lights off and on does not use more electricity than running them, but each time a lamp is turned on it costs lamp life. The rule of thumb is that you should turn the light off if no one is likely to be in the room for more than 15 minutes. -Bret Cody, College Electrician
- Keep exterior doors closed as much as possible. Our systems generally operate on a slight positive building pressure.
- Limit the use of personal devices, such as heaters, refrigerators, microwaves, and fans.
- Contact the Service Request Center if you need help with the lighting or temperature in your area. Call 503.977.4800 or fill out a form.
- Turn your computer off at night. A 1999 Lawrence Berkeley Lab study estimated that if every US computer and monitor were turned off at night, the nation could shut down one large power station and avoid emitting 1 million tons of CO2 every year. “The first thing to know is that it’s OK to turn computers off. There’s a myth out there that says you shouldn’t. That’s not true. There’s another myth that screen savers save energy. That’s not true either. When you’re not going to use a computer for more than two hours—and certainly when you’re leaving overnight—the best thing you can do to save energy is just to turn it off.” more...
- Use Windows Power Options in the Control Panel to help reduce energy consumption at workstations. You can adjust the individual settings in a power scheme to best meet your needs. Here are some suggested Power Options settings:
- Set your computer to switch to standby after 15-30 minutes of inactivity. This is a good security and energy-saving measure. While on standby, your entire computer switches to a low-power state where the monitor and hard disks use less power. When you want to use the computer again, it wakes up quickly, requests your Novell password, and your desktop is restored exactly as you left it.
- Set your monitor to switch off automatically after 10 minutes.
- Set your hard disks to switch off automatically after three to four hours.