Energy Conservation
Occupancy Sensors
These sensors are being installed in any new construction project around campus, and old buildings are in the process of being retrofitted with them in place. These sensors will automatically shut the lights off in offices, classrooms, restrooms and corridors when no motion is detected. These sensors are helping to reduce the amount of electricity the campus is using, by ensuring that no light is accidently left on and consuming unnecessary electricity.
LED Christmas Lights
As the old Christmas lights go out around campus, they are being replaced with energy efficient LED strands. Christmas lights use a large amount of electricity due to the amount of time they are left on, but these LED models will use only a fraction of the electricity used to light up the old strands.
LED Light Posts
These posts can be found around campus walkways. Some are LED Cobra Heads, some use solar power, and some decorative light posts have had LED conversion kits installed in them. So you can be sure when walking around campus that these lights are about as energy efficient as possible. The solar power LED lights, which can be found around the Science Center, use only solar power to generate the electricity to run the LED bulb, making them extremely energy efficient. All of these LED lights approach 80% efficiency, meaning 80% is converted to light energy while only 20% is lost to heat energy, compared to incandescent bulbs that operate at 20% efficiency.
Energy Star Rated Appliances
Whenever a new appliance is bought and installed on campus, the only models that are considered are the ones with an energy star rating. These appliances show a strong green purchasing commitment for ȺpÎÞÂë, as well as a commitment to energy reduction on campus. Energy Star rated appliances consume far less electricity than non-rated appliances, and are helping to cut Lewis’ energy bill.
White Roofs
These energy efficient roofs reflect the heat of the sun, due to the light color. The darker roofs will absorb this heat and therefore cause the building to get warmer in the summer months creating a higher cooling demand. White reflective roofs solve this problem, which transfers to energy savings for the University. These roofs are also reducing the urban heat island effect. ȺpÎÞÂë currently has one white roof located at the Science Center.
Green Roofs
Green roofs are what are also known as rooftop gardens. Currently there is one small model of this technology at the Science Center. Green roofs help cool the building as well as collect rain water and provide green space for the Lewis Community. This model is a little different from the tradition rooftop gardens, as it is lower to the ground so it can be used as a teaching tool. This way the community can better understand green roofs, so if you have ever been curious about green roofs be sure to make a visit over to the science building.
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