Energy

Help Conserve Energy!

Energy prices are soaring, and we need the help of every member of the Rice community to help reduce the impact of energy costs on the university.  Here's what you can do:

Students:

1. Activate power management settings for your computer and monitor by setting them to sleep mode (go to settings, and then control panel).  Never use screen savers – they waste energy.  By taking these simple steps, you can save $50 in electricity every year.
2. Turn off the lights when you leave your room.
3. Never use halogen floor lamps.  They typically consume two or three times their purchase price in energy costs every year!
4. Keep the door to your dorm closed.  This will not only prevent the loss of conditioned air, it is also an important safety measure.
5. Buy energy-efficient electronics with the Energy Star label, such as computers, printers, and refrigerators.  For more information, go to http://www.energystar.gov

Faculty and Staff:

1. Never use space heaters.
2. If you have a thermostat in your office, use a winter setting of 70 degrees when heating is required, and a summer setting of 76 degrees when cooling is required.
3. Turn off lights in conference rooms and classrooms when those spaces are not in use.
4. Never use halogen floor lamps.
5. Purchase energy-efficient office equipment, including computers, fax machines, and copies.  Look for the "Energy Star" label, which identifies equipment that meets government energy efficiency standards.  Please note that there is a misconception that computers and monitors purchased with the Energy Star logo are already energy efficient.  In reality, they have built-in energy conservation features, but your computer cannot take full advantage of these built-in energy saving mechanisms until the power management features are enabled and configured.
6. Keep windows and doors closed.
7. Turn off all departmental office equipment at the end of the day, such as copiers and printers.
8. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
9. To report over-cooling, over-heating, unnecessary lighting, or other energy waste, contact the Facilities Service Center at Ext. 2485 during business hours or Ext. 4095 after hours.
10. Follow IT’s energy saving guidelines for computers
    • Configure your monitor to turn off after 20 minutes of inactivity, your hard drive to turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity, and your desktop computer or laptop to go into a standby or sleep mode after 90 minutes of inactivity.  (If your computer does not have a standby or sleep mode, or you can’t find it, simply turn off your monitor when it is not in use).
    • Shut down your monitor and personal printer or place them in a standby mode when you leave the office for more than a few hours.
    • Do not use screensavers as energy savers as they continue to use the monitor at full power and do not conserve energy.
    • Properly perform orderly shut down of your computer, monitor, and printer when you leave for the day (provided you are not set for auto updates).
    • Do not turn on your computer, monitor, or printer in the morning until you actually need them.
    • Check with your IT divisional representative or IT support staff regarding particulars about your computer before powering-off you computer or devices.

Power Source

Rice University is powered by energy produced at an on-campus natural gas fueled cogeneration plant, as well as from electricty purchased off the grid from Reliant Energy.  Cogeneration, or CHP (combined heat and power), is nearly twice as efficient as conventional means of electricity generation and offers dramatic reductions in air pollution.  Imported power from Reliant accounts for between one-half and two-thirds of our total electricity consumption, with the remainder generated by the cogeneration system.  Click here to learn more about the composition of Reliant's electricity, and the related emissions.

Energy Management

Rice University has implemented a building energy management system, and our Facilities, Engineering and Planning department constantly monitors energy consumption for most campus buildings (including fume hood usage) in real-time and make adjustments as necessary to conserve energy while ensuring occupant comfort.  See our utilities home page for more information.

Last updated: December 12, 2005