Power down and unplug over Thanksgiving break

Faculty, staff, and students leaving the University of Iowa campus over the Thanksgiving break are urged to unplug and power down to reduce campus energy consumption.

Remember to unplug and power down when away from your living space or work area. Photo courtesy of UI Office of Sustainability

“Leaving lights or appliances on wastes energy and hurts the environment,” says Doug Litwiller, associate director of energy conservation with UI Facilities Management. “Reducing energy waste reduces the university’s energy bills and the overall campus carbon footprint—and it’s just a good idea.”

Here are some tips for the holiday break:

• Unplug all things electrical. That means copiers, printers and fax machines, monitors, speakers as well as televisions, microwaves, phone and device chargers, coffee makers, and other appliances that use energy even when turned off. Before turning off or unplugging your work computer, talk with your local computer support staff.
• Turn off lights.
• Turn down your heat (if available in your space).
• Close all outside doors and windows.
• Draw curtains or close blinds to help retain building heat, but you can open south-facing curtains or blinds to allow sunlight to naturally heat your area.
• If you have items plugged into a power strip, make sure to turn the strip off.
• Shut fume hood sashes in labs.
• Report any maintenance problems such as leaky faucets, windows that won’t close, or extreme room temperatures to the Work Control Center at 319-335-5071, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or dial 159 internally for University Hospitals and Clinics. In residence halls, report problems to your front desk and fill out a work order.

After the academic break, Facilities Management energy specialists will assess how much electrical energy was saved in residence halls.

These energy conservation efforts are part of the University of Iowa’s 2020 Sustainability Vision, which includes a goal consuming less energy on campus in 2020 than consumed in 2010 despite projected growth.