Energy usage is the leading contributor to our University Greenhouse Gas Emissions. In January 2009, the President’s Cabinet approved the University’s first Energy Management Plan. With the plan in place for only about six months of FY ’09 and the addition of Rahner Village to the campus footprint (about 53,000 square feet) we were still able to achieve about a 4% reduction in our electricity use when compared to FY ’08. We hope to continue to improve on that number as we identify more opportunities for efficiency across campus.
Current Initiatives:
- Temperature management, including daytime set points and nighttime setbacks
- Programmable thermostats have been installed in various places around campus to help manage the temperature set points
- Solar panels on the roof of Butler Hall
- Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP) - Loyola, along with other area colleges including Goucher, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and the University of Maryland, have joined the electricity Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP) which means we have volunteered to reduce consumption of electricity during periods of high stress on the Mid-Atlantic grid. When an emergency is declared by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organizer for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, we will respond by turning off unused lights, turning up cooling set points in buildings and taking other appropriate measures to reduce our consumption of electricity. ELRP events are called by PJM very judiciously and infrequently (an average of two times per year) when the grid is at its breaking point. The University will receive at least a two hour advanced notification prior to curtailment so that the facilities department can provide notification and guidance to the Loyola community concerning energy conservation measures to be taken during the curtailment period which, on average, is four hours in duration.
Future Initiatives:
- Work with facilities department to identify more opportunities to increase energy efficiency
- Develop programs to help increase energy use awareness and promote behavioral changes decreasing energy waste
- Explore additional energy opportunities