Go Green
Energy Conservation
A greenhouse gas emissions audit completed in September 2008 found that more than 70% of Towson University’s carbon emissions came from electricity, heating and air conditioning. Reducing the campus’s energy intake is a chief concern in our pursuit of sustainability.
Energy Goals
As a signatory of the President’s Climate Commitment, the university is partnering with Aramark to develop a long-term plan for achieving climate neutrality. The plan should be complete in September 2009. In the interim, the campus has convened an energy committee dedicated to implementing immediate strategies for reducing the university’s energy use, such as standard occupancy hours to guide the use of electricity in campus buildings. The committee is working hand-in-hand with Constellation Energy, the university’s energy services coordinator (ESCO), to identify and implement energy conservation measures that exceed the Maryland Senate Bill 267 mandate of reducing energy by 5% in 2009 and 10% in 2010.
Energy Practices
See the list below for ways that Towson University is conserving energy on campus. You can conserve energy by turning off your lights when leaving a room, unplugging appliances such as computers or microwaves when they're not in use, and taking shorter showers.
- Electric SmartMetering systems are being installed in campus buildings, enabling for more accurate, real time monitoring of electrical usage and demand. This monitoring will serve as a basis for the development of future energy conservation initiatives.
- Five electric vehicles have been added to the campus fleet to help reduce the university's carbon footprint.
- The university has committed to design, build and operate all future buildings and additions according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard. This standard requires buildings to be constructed with high performance, energy efficient systems and environmentally-friendly materials. The College of Liberal Arts building and the future West Village Commons and West Village Housing buildings will be designed and constructed to this standard.
- The Campus Utility Plant Addition is centralizing the production and distribution of heating, cooling and electricity on campus. The efficiencies gained from buildings being connected to the plant are expected to reduce the university’s cooling power consumption by 15%.
- The Administration Building uses high performance windows with low-E glass to control heat gain, while providing plenty of day lighting for internal open office areas.
- 7800 York Road was built with a high-performance, back ventilated terra cotta rain screen wall system that provides a higher level of insulation and reduces air filtration into the building, improving the building’s air quality and enabling HVAC systems to operate more efficiently there.
- Boilers at the campus power plant receive annual tune-ups to continually increase their efficiency. This allows the boilers to operate at an 80 - 85% mark, well above the industry norm of 70 – 75%.
- Occupancy sensors in many campus buildings allow lights to automatically turn off when rooms are not in use.
- The high-performance HVAC system in our Administration Building makes ice at night, when electricity demand and rates are lower, and then uses it to provide air conditioning during the day, saving money and lowering stress on system during peak demand hours.
- Energy renovations and enhancements, such as piping reinsulation and insulation replacement, are always ongoing on campus.
- Classrooms in the 7800 building were placed on the north side of the building with large windows to provide day lighting and reduce air conditioning loads, allowing the building to run on less energy.
These are just a few examples of how Towson is reducing its energy consumption on campus. Stay tuned for more information about the green features planned for upcoming campus buildings!
Administration and Finance Division
Administration Building, Room 401
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 410-704-2151
Fax: 410-704-6248
Email: gogreen@towson.edu
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