Need more motivation to save energy on hot/humid days? How about a chance to pick a campus leader to be hit with a pie?
Summer has arrived, and energy curtailment is here in full effect with a hot and humid week on tap.
Colleagues and students are asked to take easy, simple actions such as turning off unnecessary lights, closing blinds/shades, only using the ADA buttons when necessary and unplugging unused items. This helps the campus use less energy on these days when the combined heat and humidity put extra stress on campus energy systems.
By using less energy on these days, we:
- ensure essential systems for critical hospital and research functions always have energy;
- reduce pollution;
- improve the health of the entire community; and
- help save money — both now (consumption) and for the next 12 months, as the next year’s electrical rate is based off our maximum usage at any given point in time.
This does mean that some spaces may be warmer than normal, while others are colder. Though counterintuitive, this actually does make sense. The Energy Curtailment page can provide a full explanation. Patient care and research spaces are not affected by energy curtailment.
We think that’s incentive enough, but if you need more:
For each day we are in curtailment, any UNMC or Nebraska Medicine student, staff, or faculty member can visit the Med Center Energy page: Campus Metabolism page to track progress and take a 30-second survey. In the survey, you can tell us what actions you have taken to conserve energy that day. You also will have the opportunity to select a campus leader that you think should have a pie tossed at them, and you can submit your name to be the pie thrower. This survey can be taken once a day; every time you take the survey you increase your odds of being a pie thrower.
Each Energy Curtailment Day will provide the opportunity to “earn” a pie. Pies are earned by keeping energy use below the peak goal line, at 23,000kW. If we exceed the line at any time during the day, no pie is earned. Last summer we were in curtailment for more than 30 days . . . that’s a lot of pies.
At the end of the summer, LiveGreen will host a party. We’ll update you on the overall success of the energy curtailment program, provide some cool treats and, of course, let the pies fly!