By Samantha Thomson ’09 (Communications and Media)

Public Affairs Intern

The college’s participation in an energy savings program over the summer paid off financially and environmentally.

The Special Case Resource (SCR) Emergency Load Reduction Program called for the college to commit to a 300-kilowatt reduction, with a larger target of 333 kilowatts by performing such energy-saving measures as turning off lights where possible; closing blinds in unoccupied areas or where possible; turning off any individual air conditioning units; powering down any unoccupied equipment; and unplugging small appliances in break areas and lunch rooms.

During a test of the college’s energy use on July 28, the total amount of energy being used on campus was 2,740 kilowatts, which met the 300-kilowatt reduction target. For its efforts, the college received a payment from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) of more than $2,000.

“Reducing energy consumption at the college not only benefits the college, but also the New York state electricity grid,” said Brian Pine, director of facilities, operations and maintenance. “The process is about creating more energy readily available, and this is done by reducing energy use.”

Patrick Seraphin (Facilities Operations and Maintenance), left, and T.J. Fisher (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) collect recyclable materials with the new all-electric truck.

In addition to completing approximately 3,000 work orders, the Facilities Operations and Maintenance staff kept busy this summer by preparing for construction projects and enhancing the campus’s grounds and greening efforts.

Mike Ellsworth (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) and Anthony Bell (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) install a new outdoor recycling bin and trash containers behind the Sojourner Truth Library and Lecture Center.

“Everyone picked up the pace and went to task,” said Brian Pine, director of facilities operations and maintenance. “The whole crew deserves a lot of credit.”

Pine said there are approximately 200 Facilities Operations and Maintenance staff covering more than 2 million square feet of college building assets.

Green is good

This summer, Facilities Operations and Maintenance continued to go green. Staff replaced more than 2,000 residence hall light fixtures with new energy-saving models and installed 30 outdoor recycling receptacles around campus. The department also added two new electric cars and a new electric truck to its fleet of energy-efficient vehicles. Pine said the zero-emissions-producing truck is being used to collect recyclables.

Changes in space

According to Pine, a lot of time was spent preparing and relocating faculty and staff from the Old Main Building, which is now closed for construction.

About 90 staff members were moved from the campus’s oldest building to new locations.

James Colantuoni (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) and Matt Travis (Facilities Operations and Maintenance) work on the landscaping outside of the College Terrace.

Pine said staff from Custodial Services and Moving and Trucking also worked on relocations for faculty and staff in the Jacobson Faculty Tower and the Lecture Center during the installation of the buildings’ new air conditioning and chiller system.