The Energy and Water Conservation (E&WC) Program has developed specific efforts in different areas of energy and water conservation:
Conservation Conversations: View the schedule to join us for a 30-minute presentations and Q&A on different ways to conserve energy and water on campus.
Holiday Scheduling: This annual initiative is a cooperative effort between EWC and multiple stakeholders in which HVAC systems in selected unoccupied spaces are placed on "setback" mode during the Thanksgiving and winter breaks to lower demand and conserve energy. See the memo on our results from fiscal year 2013/2014.
Horns Up, Sash Down: Find out why shutting your fume hood sash helps you reduce energy use.
Longhorn Lights Out: Our campus-wide event where occupants reduce energy by turning off lights and powering down equipment at the end of the day on a specified date.
Power Down Assessment: Email us at energysteward@austin.utexas.edu to sign up to get a review of your individual space at the university and learn how to reduce your energy use.
Ultra-Low Freezer Loaner Program: Learn how you can save energy with proper maintenance of your ultra-low freezer. Borrow our freezer while you maintain yours.

High Energy Reduction Operators (HERO) Program

Summary

The High Energy Response Operators program is an incentive program developed by the Energy and Water Conservation Program (EWC) to reward the hard and tenacious work the zonal staff contributes to campus energy and water reduction goals. There are three main components for the HERO program: Data analysis, food purchasing (incentive), and award.

Frequency/Timeline: The HERO program is a quarterly based program

• Q1- Sept/Oct/Nov- HERO Award event January

• Q2- Dec/Jan/Feb- HERO Award event April

• Q3- Mar/April/May- HERO Award event July

• Q4- June/July/August- HERO Award event October

Measurement and Verification

The HERO program determines the total decrease in combined building energy consumption within each zone during a fiscal quarter as compared to the same quarter the year prior (e.g. Q1 FY2014 vs Q1 FY2013). Buildings are only included in the total energy calculation if building energy data existed during both quarters, eliminating new construction and new meter installations from the calculation. Based on input from Energy Stewards and Zone staff, select buildings can also excluded from the calculation due to various circumstance (renovations, construction, meter outage, major equipment failure, etc). Energy reduction is calculated as a percent change prior year quarter to competition quarter. The Zone with the largest reduction (most negative percent change) is considered the winner.

Process

Step 1 - After the quarter is complete- discuss at Monthly Zone meetings which buildings in each zone needs to be eliminated for the HERO quarter
Step 2 - Data Analysis
Step 3 - Adjust costs of utilities if necessary- This data can be obtained by contacting Adriana Rojas or Tejas Pevekar
Step 4 - Ensure that buildings that zones have identified are eliminated from the calculations
Step 5 - Review data to identify any discrepancies

Award

Zonal staff is awarded in two ways: A HERO Poster for their zone shop and a lunch provided by the EWC team.

HERO Poster

Open

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    • Format for poster is 24 X 18 on hard stock material

    • Purchase through Document Solutions: Rep: Norma Almazan: Almazan, Norma J (norma.almazan@austin.utexas.edu)

Food Purchasing

Food purchasing is done through the Division of Housing and Food Services Forty Acres Catering: https://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/index.php?site=18&scode=0&id=8097 contact Ronnie Ruiz: rruiz@austin.utexas.edu.
Include the following information:

• Date

• Pick up location (Cypress Bend, Jester City Limits, or Littlefield Café)

• Time

• # People

• Plates

• Silverware/Napkins (Yes/No)

• Food preference

• IDT Account to transfer funds- Official Occasion Expense Accounts are only allowed for food purchases.

• Request an invoice

Record all purchases in the budget folder and spreadsheet for the appropriate FY

Longhorn Lights Out (LLO)

Longhorn Lights Out is UT-Austin's campus-wide event where occupants reduce energy by turning off lights, unplugging unnecessary electronics and powering down computer equipment (check with your IT staff first) the last Friday of every month. It is an example of how simple actions can have a BIG impact. Join the Dark Side and make a difference! http://longhornlightsout.com/
Longhorn Lights Out is contributing to ways to conserve energy and water at The University of Texas at Austin. It comes from the students who make our campus-wide efforts rock, the faculty whose years of research and commitment to energy conservation inspire us, and from the staff who are often the eyes and ears of our program.

Horns Up Sash Down Competition

The Horns Up, Sash Down program educates researchers, teaching assistants and students of the energy impact of fume hoods due to their high ventilation requirements. A two-week competition is held each long semester that encourages fume hood users to keep their fume hoods closed on nights, weekends and during periods of inactivity. Labs meeting their specific goals have the opportunity to win prizes and be recognized among their peers. Previous competitions have seen as much as $10,000 in avoided energy costs per year due to behavior change.

SETTING UP THE COMPETITION

CHOOSING THE COMPETITION TIMING

One month of time is needed to conduct the competition - a one-week baseline, one week of marketing and two weeks of competition. An email is sent to the building managers of NHB, WEL and BME one month prior to the competition to confirm that all are on board with the proposed time period and incentives. It is best to select a date range that is mid-semester and does not contain any holiday breaks. The competition runs from a Monday to the following Friday and only encompasses one weekend.

COLLECTING AND ANALYZING DATA

To collect baseline information for NHB and WEL, access the BAS (Building Automation System): Andover>Nrgy>open:
NHB Sash Bnet2
NHB Sash Bnet3
NHB CFM Bnet2
NHB CFM Bnet3
WEL Sash
WEL CFM
Download and save all trends as their names with the addition of the date range to a thumb drive and download to your computer. Open the compiler report designated as the original: [Maintenance_Energy_Resource_Conservation>Behavioral>HornsUp,SashDown>
Compiler Tool and Reports|Z:\\2-Behavioral
Horns Up, Sash Down
Compiler Tool and Reports]. Ex. NHB_Sash_Bnet2_7.1-8.14
To collect baseline information for BME, access Siemens:

• Click on the Dynamic Plotter icon and click Open

• Type BME*SASH into the Name: search box and click Find Now

• Highlight 'BME SASH HEIGHTS' and 'BME_SASH HEIGHTS_6A-1' and click OK

• Save both trends by clicking Edit>Save Data To File

• Download and save the trends to a thumb drive and download to your computer