by Aimee Dingwell

As part of the multifaceted push to make efficient energy use a major priority at FIU, the university is increasing its use of products bearing the Energy Star, a government-backed program to provide products with increased energy efficiency.

FIU’s Graduate School of Business will be the most saturated Energy Star building on campus, according to Jose Rodriguez, director of Operations Analysis in Real Estate Development and Planning. But that may not last long. The university is planning to use Energy Star products wherever feasible.

“While an official policy has not yet been drafted, purchasing is steering the policy in that direction,” said Rodriguez of the Energy Star option. FIU plans to incorporate Energy Star refrigerators, copiers, computers and lighting and other products into the building.

The Energy Star means a product meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. And while there is no Energy Star label for ovens, ranges, or microwave ovens at this time, Rodriguez noted that Energy Star products are widely available on the market, and require little to no change in purchasing practices or costs. But the savings in energy and costs are significant over time (see Sidebar).

According to the Energy Star program, universities’ computers and monitors use more electricity than all other forms of office equipment combined. More than half of this energy is wasted because 60 percent of computers and monitors are left on at night and 40 percent of monitors are not enabled for power management.

For institutions of higher education, the government estimates that replacing power management to enable the low-power sleep setting network-wide on 2,000 monitors would save $48,600 and reduce 527 tons of CO2 annually, and $176,600 and 2,106 tons of CO2 over the product’s life cycle. Replacing 50 conventional vending machines with Energy Star machines could save $8,800 annually and 89 tons of CO2, and $93,400 over the life cycle with a reduction of 1,247 tons of CO2.

Students can do their part as well. Making sure items in your dorm, house or apartment – such as microfridges, hair dryers, battery charges and lighting – are Energy Star products saves on energy costs as well as reduces pollution. Energy Star-qualified lighting provides bright, warm light but uses about 75 percent less energy than standard lighting, produces 75 percent less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer.

Students at various universities across the country, including Tulane University and the University of California at Berkeley, have created Energy Star demonstration projects to showcase Energy Star dorm rooms. For more information, visit the Alliance to Save Energy’s Green Campus Program, at http://www.ase.org/section/program/greencampus/.

Energy Star Higher Education Information
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=higher_ed.bus_highereducation

Eleven of the 12 warmest years on record occurred between 1995 and 2005.

Below are some key facts on energy use by the government’s Energy Star Program.

 

Increase in greenhouse gas emissions between 1970 and 2004:	70%
U.S. Contribution of global greenhouse gas emissions:	About 20%
U.S. population relative to the world:	5%
Portion of energy used in U.S. Commercial & Industrial facilities inefficiently or unnecessarily:	30%
Percentage of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions generated by commercial and industrial buildings:	45%
Percentage of energy use reduction targeted by the ENERGY STAR Challenge:	10%
Amount of money saved by improving commercial and industrial energy efficiency by 10%:	$20 billion
Amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced by a 10% improvement in commercial and industrial energy efficiency:	Equal to about 30 million vehicles (roughly the total autos registered in Illinois, New York, Ohio and Texas combined).

Energy Star Appliances and Home Electronics
The difference in the use of electricity between Energy Star and standard appliances and electronics can be significant. Energy Star home electronics use as much as 60% less energy to perform basic functions. Here are a few Energy Star facts for common appliances and household electronics.

 

Washers – Energy Star washers use 50% less energy than standard washers and about half of the water per load.

 

Refrigerators  - Energy Star refrigerator models use at least 15% less energy than required by current federal standards and 40% less energy than the conventional models sold in 2001.

 

Compact Refrigerators – Energy Star compact refrigerators and freezers use at least 20% less energy than standard units.

 

Window A/C Units – Energy Star room air conditioners use at least 10% less energy than conventional models. If every room air conditioner sold in the U.S. were Energy Star, it would prevent 1.2 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions - the equivalent emissions from 100,000 cars.

 

TVs – Energy Star Tvs use about 30% less energy than standard units.

 

DVDs – According to the government, Americans spend more money to power DVD players when turned off than when actually in use. When they’re off Energy Star DVDs use as little as 1/4 of the energy used by standard models. If all DVDs were Energy Star, air pollution would be reduced by 6 billion pounds – the same as taking 75,000 cars off the road.

 

Home Office Equipment/Computers – Energy Star qualified office and imaging products use as much as 60% less electricity than standard equipment.

 

Computers -     By requiring efficiency savings across operating modes, new computer specifications in effect since mid-2007 are expected to save consumers and businesses more than $1.8 billion in energy costs over the next 5 years and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual emissions of 2.7 million vehicles.

 

Copiers & Fax Machines -     Energy Star imaging equipment delivers the same performance as less efficient, conventional equipment and is, on average, 25% more efficient. Energy Star Imaging products will save more than $3 billion over the next five years and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 4 million cars.

 

Battery Chargers - In the U.S., more energy efficient battery chargers have the potential to save Americans more than 1 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year, saving Americans more than $100 million annually while preventing the release of more than one million tons of greenhouse gas emissions — equivalent to the emissions of 150,000 cars. On average, Energy Star battery chargers will use 35% less energy than conventional models.

 

Exit Lights -     Energy Star exit signs operate on five watts or less per sign, compared to as much as 40 watts for standard signs. One Energy Star sign alone can save about $10 annually on electricity costs and can last up to 10 years without a lamp replacement, compared to less than one year for an incandescent.