Power down before leaving for the holidays

Posted by hamiltcl on Friday, December 5, 2014 in Energy, Events, News.

See the MyVU story here.

Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff who are going to be away from their residence halls, offices, classrooms or homes for an extended period of time over the holidays should remember to shut off lights and appliances, unplug electronics, and lower thermostats before leaving. Doing so is a great way to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.

Students:

• Turn off all lights, including in common rooms.
• Defrost and unplug refrigerators before leaving.
• Turn off and unplug computers, printers, microwaves, lamps, televisions and anything else that is plugged in. Many types of electronic equipment still draw small amounts of electricity (vampire energy) even when turned off.
• Lower the thermostat to 65 degrees.
• Make sure all faucets are completely turned off and not dripping.

Faculty and staff:

• If permitted in your area, turn off and unplug all computers, monitors, printers, microwaves, lamps, cell phone chargers, televisions, copiers, fax machines, coffee makers, etc., that will not be in use while you are gone to reduce vampire power.
• Turn off all lights in offices, including lights in break rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms.
• Lower the thermostat setting to 65 degrees.
• If you work in a lab, close fume hood sashes before leaving for the holidays.
• Make sure all faucets are completely turned off and not dripping.
• At home, consider turning down your hot water heater.

Visit the Holiday Greening Guide or the ThinkOne website for additional ways you can reduce your energy consumption and green your holidays at Vanderbilt.

Tags: Energy, events