Important notice from:
Peggy R. Williams, president
Carl Sgrecci, vice president, finance and administration
Peter Bardaglio, vice president, academic affairs
Nancy Pringle, vice president, college counsel
Brian McAree, vice president, student affairs and campus life
Shelley Semmler, vice president, institutional advancement
Over the past 15 years Ithaca College has worked to implement a number of programs and practices that are environmentally and fiscally responsible and help advance our educational mission. These programs started back in 1989 when an Ithaca College student, Todd Petrocelli '91, worked with physical plant to implement a paper recycling program and continues today as we work to build the first School of Business building to achieve LEED Platinum Certification.
In that spirit, and as warmer spring weather is on the horizon, we are writing to make you aware of some additional policies and changes the College is implementing that will keep us at the forefront of environmental and fiscal responsibility.
1. Temperature Set Points
Starting May 1, 2006 we will be implementing temperature set points in all buildings across campus. During the cooling season (generally May through October) the temperature set point range will be 74-76 degrees and during the heating season (generally November through April) the set point range will be 69-71 degrees. Our local utility company, NYSEG indicates that for every degree you raise or lower temperature set points to conserve, you save 1% of your total utility bill. Our projected annual savings by implementing these set points range from $125,000 to $200,000.
We recognize that the heating and cooling systems in some of our buildings are aging and may be hard to regulate, particularly where renovations may have stretched their original design capacity. Therefore we are also implementing a policy on the use of portable space heaters as part of this effort. This policy outlines procedures that will be applied to determine when use of these devices will be permitted. That policy is located on the physical plant web page at www.ithaca.edu/physicalplant and we strongly encourage you to review this policy. These temperature set points and the space heater policy have been reviewed and are supported by the College’s Resource and Environmental Management Program (REMP).
2. Upgrades to building HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning) systems
The first of a two-phase project to upgrade HVAC systems in a majority of our academic and administrative buildings is currently being completed. These upgrades will focus on installing new motors, drives, and monitoring systems on current equipment. When both phases are completed the projected annual savings will be another $200,000 to $250,000.
Saving energy and conserving our natural resources is a collective effort that needs the support of all members of our College community. We hope you will join us in supporting these measures on a year round basis so that the portion of the College’s financial resources that are consumed by utilities can be minimized; and the savings invested directly into the College’s educational mission. If you have any questions concerning these initiatives, please contact Rick Couture, director of physical plant.
Thank you.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/2006040309345560