EWC Operational Policy

Purpose:

To establish guidelines and practices that will lower The University of Texas at Austin's energy & water consumption, reduce associated costs, and support greenhouse gas reduction goals. This policy is alignment with the President's Sustainability Steering Committee's 2011 Natural Resource Management and Conservation Strategic Plan that aims to reduce energy and water consumption by 20% by the year 2020.

Scope:

The policy is applicable to all University of Texas at Austin employees and students.

Policy:

Lighting

Employees and students shall make every effort to reduce the amount of energy associated with lighting in all University facilities by:

• Turning lights off in unoccupied spaces.
• Discontinuing the use of incandescent lighting and replace with more efficient and longer life lamps such as compact fluorescent or light emitting diodes (LEDs) .
• Maximizing the use of natural light and turning off all nonessential lighting whenever possible.
• Utilizing task lighting in lieu of overhead lighting when appropriate.
• Turning off exterior building architectural lighting between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. Personal safety shall not be compromised from lighting energy reduction decisions and should be cleared through UTPD before implementing

Thermal Comfort

• • Every effort will be made to maintain the occupied temperature in all University facilities at 68 or 76 degrees. This excludes areas that currently are not heated or cooled and areas with special environmental needs.
  • The temperature during low occupancy or unoccupied periods in all University facilities will be allowed to cool down to 60 degrees in the winter and warm up to 85 degrees in the summer. This excludes areas that currently are not heated or cooled and areas with special environmental needs.
  • Employees and students with manual control of the equipment that heats or cools their space shall advise Facilities staff about adequate operation of the equipment so that the least amount of energy is consumed (example, operate window air conditioning units only when the spaces are occupied).
  • Every effort will be made to improve the operational utilization of our buildings by consolidating activities into fewer buildings moving activities from sparsely occupied buildings to fewer other buildings, consequently increasing its utilization. This will allow buildings' heating, ventilating and air conditioning system run times to be reduced, resulting in energy savings.
  • Non-university portable electric heaters are prohibited. Employees are expected to dress for comfort within their work environment.
  • Non-university portable humidifiers are prohibited. Our buildings are set to provided a range of 20 – 60% RH for comfort and anything outside this range can contribute to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues. Air quality issues, including concerns regarding humidity, should be brought to the attention of the office of Environment Health and Safety.

Computers, Tablets and Digital Signage

• Computer power management software shall be enabled to minimize the operation and consumption of electricity when computers are not in use. This excludes computers performing unique computational functions.
• Peripheral equipment such as speakers shall be turned off whenever possible.
• Digital signage in building should be turned off during unoccupied hours (once the building is locked to outside visitors).

Office Equipment, Appliances, and Electronics

• All powered office equipment shall be turned off or placed in standby when not in use, unless it is detrimental to the operation of the equipment to do so. Items such as copiers, printers, calculators, shredders, etc., should be turned off at the end of the work day.
• Office equipment quantities shall be reduced through consolidation to central locations for shared use whenever possible.
• Non-University provided appliances and electronics (such as printers, coffee makers, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, toasters, lamps, televisions, and scanners) may only be used if approved by the department head or supervisor in charge of the area
• The quantities of University purchased appliances and electronics shall be reduced through consolidation to central locations for shared use whenever possible.
• All appliances and electronics shall be turned off when not in use, unless it is detrimental to do so.

Fume Hoods

• Fume hood sashes are to be closed when fume hoods are not in use to minimize energy use and provide improved lab safety.
• Fume hoods that won't be used for extended periods of time should be brought to the attention of Environment Health and Safety and Energy and Water Conservation Program in order to be evaluated for a temporary shut down or possibly permanent decommissioning.

Review:

Facilities Services and Energy and Water Conservation Program in consultation with Environment Health and Safety (EHS) staff will evaluate and recommend policy revisions every two years.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
University Employees and Students - are responsible for:

• Recognizing that energy & water conservation is important to the University's fiscal health and environmental goals.
• Complying with the policy.
• Taking actions to conserve energy & water and reduce waste.
• Contacting the Energy and Water Conservation Program at energy.steward@austin.utexas.edu with any ideas on conservation or wish to report waste.

Department Administrators and Building Managers - are responsible for:

• Communicating this policy to everyone within their jurisdiction.
• Including energy & water conservation procedures in orientation programs.
• Designating a person to be responsible for conservation. This involves being a point of contact for department personnel to report conservation issues and to work with the Campus Planning & Facilities Management Office to implement all conservation measures.
• Implementing the policy.

Supervisors - are responsible for:

• Coaching employees to comply with this policy and communicating the results of their organization's energy & water conservation efforts to staff on a regular basis.
• Recognizing and celebrating successes. It is recommended to reach out to the Energy and Water Conservation Program to request a presentation for departments/units who would like have their staff informed.

The Energy and Water Conservation Program - is responsible for:

• Monitoring energy & water consumption and providing summary reports to stakeholders upon request
• Developing and monitoring programs to affect energy & water consumption reductions.
• Developing detailed Energy & Water Conservation Policy implementation directives.
• Providing recommendations regarding Energy & Water Conservation Policy revisions.
• Monitoring energy & water consumption to determine additional actions as may be appropriate.
• Recommending detailed energy & water conservation implementation directives to the Associate Vice President for Campus Planning and Facilities Management.

Policy/Plan References

President's Sustainability Steering Committee's 2011 Natural Resource Management and Conservation Strategic Plan
For purchasing: The University of Texas at Austin, Handbook of Business Procedures, Part 7. 12 Sustainability- Statement and Purpose

Space Heating and Cooling Standards

Space Humidity Standards

Supplemental humidification systems increase the risk for toxin growth within the HVAC equipment and the areas they serve. That growth can lead to indoor air quality issues which could cause sickness, as well as damage the building and materials in them. As a result, CPFM neither provides nor allows these types of systems to be operated in campus office and academic buildings. Air quality issues, including concerns regarding humidity, should be brought to the attention of the office of Environment Health and Safety.
The goal of Campus Planning & Facilities Management is to keep indoor relative humidity levels within office and academic spaces between 20 – 60%. Levels outside of this range can lead to discomfort: dryness when humidity levels are too low and stuffiness, along with a feeling of being too hot, when levels are too high. In addition to improper humidity levels leading to discomfort, high humidity levels can lead to biological growth in the form of mold, mildew, dust mites, and bacteria, as well as cause damage to buildings and certain items within them.
Fresh outside air must be brought into the buildings to maintain proper and acceptable breathing conditions, and as a result, indoor humidity levels are largely a factor of outside weather. Our local weather conditions throughout the year routinely and frequently push potential levels above the 60% range. Campus Planning & Facilities Management works to control these levels through the use of building HVAC systems that not only condition the air for thermal comfort, but also dehumidify and filter the air.
Because of our local climate, when humidity levels move outside of the target range, it is primarily on the high side. However, at times levels drop into the lower ranges of the relative humidity scale. Our mechanical systems are not designed to provide humidification during excessively dry times due to the rarity of their occurrence. Instead, our HVAC systems are designed to prevent potential negative and dangerous effects that come with excessively high humidity levels.

How to Identify Preheat Steam Leaks

Purpose of the Preheat

The function of the preheat in an air handler is to warm the outdoor air above freezing or near-freezing temperatures to prevent freezing the cooling coil. In warm months this function is not necessary because the outdoor temperatures will always be higher than the setpoint of the preheat. This makes the summer a good time to check for any possible leaks.

How to Identify Leaks

1) Look for preheat temperatures that are warmer than outdoor air temperature.

*Temperatures may vary a few degrees due to sensor variations. Make note of differences greater than 5 degrees F.
2) Trend preheats that look suspicious to see if they are consistently above outdoor air temperature.

• Trend shows preheat discharge air temp ranges from ~108-125 degrees F when outdoor temps are between ~75-95 degrees F.
  3) Place work order with zone maintenance.
  4) Trend preheat discharge air temp once the problem is corrected to verify that the temperatures are now following outdoor air temperature.