Close sashes on chemical fume hoods when not in use.
Chemical fume hoods draw air from inside the hood and vent it directly outdoors. Closing fume hood sashes whenever possible eliminates the unnecessary exhaust of conditioned air.
Use community appliances rather than personal appliances.
Personal appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, and hot plates are expensive to operate. Based on current electrical and cooling costs, turning off your personal refrigerator will save more than $90 each year.
Use double-sided printing and copying.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the annual cost of paper for the average office is $360 per year. By using the double-sided printing feature on your printer and copier, you could save as much as $180 per year.
Do not use personal space heaters.
Space heaters can add a significant load to our electrical system. The typical heater will consume the power of 15 100-watt light bulbs, or 1½ kilowatts each! If run for ten hours a day, a space heater will cost $540 per year! That's a huge impact that UT and the environment cannot afford.
Recycle early, recycle often.
We all know about recycling's environmental benefits, but when you recycle, it helps the university's bottom line, too. UT pays for trash disposal by the pound, so when you put that can or bottle in a recycling bin instead of the trash, you make a difference in more ways than you might expect.
Take the stairs.
If you only have to travel a short number of floors, or you're just looking for some exercise, consider walking instead of taking the elevator. It's a great way to burn calories while reducing power use and keeping pollution out of the air in the process.
Only use ADA door openers when necessary.
Before you press the button to automatically open a door, think about why the switch is there. If you are able to open the door under your own power, do it. Not only does using the automatic doors unnecessarily use electricity, but it also puts wear and tear on doors that some people on campus depend on.
Have an idea on how to save the campus some money, we'd like to hear about it.
