| Project examines SUB, Commons |
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| Written by Alexiss Turner - Argonaut | ||||
| Monday, 07 April 2008 | ||||
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Editor’s note: ‘Campus energy’ is a series examining the University of Idaho’s carbon footprint and how much energy is used by buildings on campus. It will run every Tuesday until the end of the semester. As two of the most frequently used buildings on campus with hours running late into the night, the Idaho Commons and Student Union Building are two of the highest energy-using buildings on campus. In 2007, the SUB left a carbon footprint of 17.2 pounds of CO2 per square foot. The Idaho Commons left 18.2 pounds per sq/ft. Collecting this information has been the work of UI graduate students Harshana Thimmanna and Rakesh Kamal for their grant-funded, university-wide project to create a more sustainable campus. Their project will assess the energy use of 12 buildings. “People have an attitude that it’s not like they are going to pay for what happens on Earth,” Kamal said. “Students need some awareness and reminding that their responsibilities are being neglected.” Idaho Commons vs. SUB The first student center at the University of Idaho wasn’t called the SUB, and it wasn’t a place to get a new Vandalcard. It was a hub of entertainment for students and Moscow residents alike known as the Blue Bucket Inn. The two-story building housed a soda fountain, kitchen, tearoom, two dining rooms and a reception hall. The second floor was a giant recreation room complete with a fireplace. One dollar could buy attendance to a semester’s worth of concerts held on the second floor, a showcase of student talent. In 1933 patrons could drink beer and listen to the jukebox. It wasn’t until 1936 that UI purchased the building and renamed it the student union building. The deal was made with the then owner, Permeal French, the dean of women students, a UI position that no longer exists. The building was remodeled in 1962 to accommodate more students. Part of the original building was destroyed in 1963 to make room for a bookstore. Today the SUB connects students with many administrative departments. Students can use this building to register for classes, check their financial aid status and connect with student media. New students can visit the SUB for campus tours. The initial use of the SUB as a student headquarters has been taken over by the Idaho Commons after its construction in 2000. The Idaho Commons houses ASUI government offices as well as other student organization offices, a bookstore, food court and classrooms. Richard Nagy, UI resource conservation manager, said a major factor in the energy use of these buildings is their multi use. A strong source of energy use in the Commons is the cafeteria. “It uses energy to cook,” he said. “What else are you going to do?” In addition, there are a few lights in the Commons that cannot be turned off. Nagy said these lights were designed to shine out of the skylights during all hours for aesthetic purposes. He said facilities is currently allowing the lights to burn out and has no intention of replacing them. Other bulbs are being replaced with those that are more energy efficient. Circuitry in the Idaho Commons is so complex it would be impossible to program lights to go out when not in use without blacking out other rooms in use. Thimmanna and Kamal said they believe a major use of energy in the SUB is running the computer labs. The two are hoping to find a way to shut down computers when they are not in use. Chuck Lanham, UI director of enterprise computing support, said lab computers are rebooted daily between the hours of 3 and 4 a.m. Other than that reboot, lab computers stay on. Lanham said shutting down computers regularly would wear on the hardware and replacing failing systems may outweigh the cost of their energy use. He said computers do hibernate when not in use, a power-saving mode that helps energy use.  Add as favorites (30) | Views: 297
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