Electricity ConservationOver the past academic year, students from the Environmental Concerns Committee engaged in a lighting efficiency survey of all campus housing. The survey was conducted under the auspices of a public utilities-funded program provided by Edison. The Campus Housing Energy Efficiency Retrofit (CHEER) Program trained five students to assess lighting fixtures for retrofit potential. They conducted surveys in all residence halls and also engaged other students in trading out incandescent fixtures for compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's). Between 2002 and 2005, the College increased its electrical energy use. The exact cause is unknown. However, during this time, CMC increased its number of students, faculty and staff, implemented more campus technology and built more on campus square footage. The Roberts Environmental Center is investigating this trend and will attempt to understand how these factors relate to increased energy use and how the trend can be reversed. 18% of the electrical energy mix from Southern California Edison (SCE), CMC's electricity provider, comes from renewable resources including geothermal, small hydro, solar and biomass. The majority of SCE renewable energy is wind and geothermal.
|
