Institute Energy Policy
The Institute spends over ten million dollars per year on essential utilities including water, gas, and electric and these costs have been continually increasing. Certainly every dollar we as a community can save from spending on utilities is a dollar we can apply toward:
- Improving the academic programs of the university
- Improving the quality of our buildings and grounds
- Improving the salaries of our faculty and staff
- Limiting tuition increases
The escalating costs of energy, the Institute's growing energy demands, Federal and State regulations, and a desire to be good "environmental citizens" are all reasons for the entire Institute community to support an energy conservation policy. Simply stated, RIT's policy is to "use the minimum amount of water, electric, and gas commensurate with our true needs." This policy is not meant to require students, faculty and staff to sacrifice comfort, rather its intent is for the community to use resources prudently.
In the process of designing and constructing new facilities and renovating existing buildings, Facilities Management Services implements appropriate energy savings by applying building methods, materials, products, and technology. This technology allows us to control the space temperatures of Campus buildings in a more efficient way and decrease the energy waste. It is our goal to maintain nationally recognized temperature standards of approximately 68 degrees in the heating season and 75 degrees in the cooling season. During holidays, FMS disables certain systems and initiates more aggressive temperature set backs. The real energy conservation measures, however, are dependent upon the habits of those who occupy the buildings. The following are easily implemented steps that every Institute community member can take to conserve energy and help the environment:
- Turn on lights only when they are needed; often natural daylight is sufficient for the tasks being performed
- Turn off lights, computers, printers, copiers, and appliances when not in use
- In rooms with dimmable or multi-level lighting, reduce light levels to the lowest setting for the tasks being performed
- Purchase only "Energy-Star Classification" computers, printers, and copiers
- Advise FMS Maintenance of any leaky faucets or "continuous flush" toilets
- Ensure that windows and exterior doors remain closed during the heating and cooling seasons
- Dress appropriately for the temperature ranges mentioned above instead of asking FMS to vary from these temperatures
- If involved in selecting paint colors, choose light colors so that walls will help reflect light throughout the space
