Working toward greater environmental sustainability is a smart choice because UNL saves money and resources and helps prepare students for the future when issues of energy and the environment will only grow in importance. On campus, you can help cut costs and make a difference with every smart choice you make.
UNL administration asks that students, faculty and staff join in helping reduce energy costs for the upcoming year. By reducing energy consumption, we can avoid shifting precious resources into the energy budget. Any savings in the current budget can be directed toward energy conservation efforts.
Students
Smart choices save money and resources. Here are some simple steps that you can take whether you live on or off campus. If you live in a residence hall, you can use this, you can use this dashboard to view your building's electricity usage and participate in fun conservation activities.
Turn off the lights when you are the last person to leave a room
Replace incandescent bulbs in personal lamps with LEDs or compact fluorescent bulbs
Use the sleep mode on your computer and power off at the end of the day
Plug all electronics into a green strip or power strip that can be switched off when not in use
Adjust the thermostat to 68°F in the winter and 78°F in the summer
Faculty & Staff
Here are 5 energy-saving tips that you can follow to make a difference in our energy conservation effort at UNL. You can also use this energy dashboard to view your building's monthly and yearly energy usage.
Lights Out
Turn off lights in any room when lights are no longer needed. Be proactive; lighting accounts for 5 – 10 percent of total energy use; when multiplied by the number of users, the potential for waste is enormous.
Computers, Photocopiers, Printers, Appliances
Turn off all office equipment and appliances (e.g. TV, radios, coffeemakers) when you leave your office for the evening. With as many as 18,000 computers at UNL performing this simple step will produce huge energy savings.
Almost all modern office equipment should have energy saving settings; explore those options to help save electricity. When buying new equipment, choose those that are more energy efficient over others.
Thermostats and Space Heaters
Most building thermostats are centrally controlled. However if you are able to set your thermostat, use it to maintain comfortable conditions in your workspace.
The use of space heaters is strongly discouraged. Standard electric space heaters consume 1500 watts at their typical highest setting; that's equivalent to the energy footprint of 10 desktop computers with monitors.
Windows and Doors
In winter, drapes or blinds should be open when windows are in direct sunlight or you are using the daylight, and closed otherwise. During summer, close drapes or blinds to prevent direct sunlight from heating up the room. Try not to use windows for temperature control.
Use revolving doors where available. Vestibule doors should not be propped open and should always close and latch behind you.
Clothing and Maintenance
Wear clothing appropriate to the season and weather. Notify your building maintenance reporter if your work area is overheated in the winter or overcooled in summer. Do not habitually open a window to get rid of excess heat in the winter.