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University's plan unified campus
in successful energy crisis battle

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by Tom Uribes

The university's aggressive energy plan - launched this summer in response to the state's power crisis - mobilized the university community into an energy conservation team that helped prevent rolling blackouts, shaved the university's power bill by $35,000 and saved enough electricity to supply roughly 800 to a 1,000 homes for a month, Plant Operations officials report.

The energy plan included an earlier summer hours schedule than in the past, removing half the lights in all buildings and a unique team of students who visited offices with energy saving messages and measures.

Fresno State employees, joining in to fight the state's energy crisis, were seen flicking off light switches behind them, working in window-lit offices and walking in darkened hallways as they helped reduce the demand on the substation circuit feeding the university by 1.25 megawatts during the summer when the university uses 8.1 megawatts.

At the fall staff and academic assemblies last week, President John D. Welty praised the university community for helping conserve 25 percent this summer.

Dick Smith, director of utility management on Plant Operations, called the plan - which was looked at as a model by other community organizations - and the employees' efforts "a resounding success."

"Everyone should be proud of their accomplishments and the relief they have provided to California during this crisis," Smith said.

A comparison of June 2000 to June 2001 shows that kilowatt-hour usage dropped from 3,323,821 kwh to 2,521,357 kwh, Smith reported.

"That's a reduction of 802,464 kwh or 24.1 percent," he said. "We saved enough electricity to supply roughly 800 to a 1,000 homes for a month."

He also said the demand on the generation power plants by the campus was reduced by nearly 1,000 kw, freeing up generation capacity for another 1,000 homes.

Lastly, Smith said the power bill dropped from $227,020.73 to  $192,687.60, a savings of nearly $35,000.

Fresno State's conservation measures this summer complied with Pacific Gas & Electric's curtailment program, which exempted institutions from rotating outages if they reduced their load by 15 percent during every rotating outage period.

Servi-Tech Controls Inc. of Fresno performed the de-lamping service over a six-week period beginning June 25. Pacific Gas & Electric incentives paid for 60 to 70 percent of the de-lamping project, Smith said.

The new summer hours schedule that opened the campus at 7 a.m. and closed most offices by 3:30 p.m. also helped, Smith said. In the past, summer hours were 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Regular 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours for the academic year resumed last week).

"By coming to work earlier this summer, employees left before the hottest part of the day, so the air conditioning was turned off during the peak electrical demand period, nonessential lighting and equipment was turned off and thermostat settings were raised," Smith said.

The university's complete energy plan is available at www.fresnostatenews.com.