Everyday Energy Savings
Everyone at Austin Peay can help us be more energy efficient. This page includes tips to help Faculty and Staff make their offices more sustainable. Students can also find ways to make their room in the Residence Halls or apartments more green.
Faculty and Staff can make their offices more energy efficient by implementing the following:
- Turn off lights when not in use.
- If you use a lamp in you office, switch to an LED light bulb.
- Use natural light whenever possible.
- Shut down your computer and other electronics every evening.
- Flip power strips off to power down all electronics before weekends or breaks.
- Change your computer setting to sleep after 10 minutes or less.
- Turn on the energy savings setting on your computer.
- Unplug chargers when a device is charged or when not in use.
- Turn thermostats down to 68 in winter and up to 74 in summer.
- Keep a sweater in your office rather than using a space heater.
- Keep vents clear from furniture or other blockages for maximum efficiency.
- Choose energy star electronics or appliances when making purchases.
Interested in becoming an office sustainability champion? Become an office rep or assemble a green team to compete in Project Eco Govs.
According to the US EPA the energy used in an average residence hall room produces the same greenhouse gas emissions as driving a car 156,000 miles. Surprisingly, one study has found that about 1/3 of this energy use happens when no one is in the room!
Students can make their room or apartment more energy efficient by implementing the following easy changes:
- Switch to LED light bulbs in your lamps.
- Switch string lights or Christmas light to LED, too.
- Turn off your lights when leaving the room.
- Take advantage of sunlight during the day.
- Close blinds or curtains at night to insulate your windows.
- Set your thermostat at 68 in the winter and 74 in the summer. Especially when you're not in the room.
- Unplug everything you aren't currently using. Try a power strip so you can turn off multiple devices with one switch.
- Unplug your charger once your device is charged.
- Choose energy star refrigerators, microwaves, printers, TVs, etc.
- Stream directly though your Smart TV or a digital media player (Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, etc.) instead of a gaming consol. This uses fifteen times less energy.
- Enable sleep mode or energy saving mode on your electronics.
- Take shorter showers - heating up that water takes electricity.
- Report leaks or problems with your heating/air conditioning immediately.
Winter Break Energy Savings
Winter Break is a fantastic opportunity for campus to power down to conserve energy and save money. In recent years, we have saved an average of $1,000 on energy costs every day of break with your help. Over just a few weeks, these energy savings add up to the electricity used by about 4 households over an entire year! You can do your part by:
- Turning off lights.
- Turning down the thermostat to the lowest setting.
- Closing blinds.
- Unplugging Electronics.
- Turning off power strips.