Energy Efficiency

“Energy is the only universal currency,” writes Vaclov Smil in his book, Energies, “One of its many forms must be transformed into another in order for stars to shine, planets to rotate, living things to grow and civilizations to evolve.”[i] With our current trends in burning fossil fuel s, polluting air and water, and frivolously wasting electricity, it is becoming more apparent that energy, which the world so heavily relies on, is actually costing us the world.  Fortunately, with the energy-efficient and sustainable  techniques available today, we can start reversing our excessive habits.  Because buildings account for approximately 40 percent of the worlds total energy consumption, they are an effective starting point for conservation.[ii]  From the building envelope  to electrical systems to appliances to sources, the key to energy efficiency  lies in whole building design.

            The building envelope , which encompasses everything that separates the interior of a building from the outdoors, plays a critical role in energy efficiency  for many reasons.  The envelope has a variety of components – foundation, ceiling , roof, walls, windows , and insulation  – important for maintaining whole building efficiency.  Minnesota’s bitter winters has heaters working full-time for extended portions of the year.  If a building is poorly insulated, more energy needs to be produced in order to make-up for the escaping heat.  Windows are another building element not to “skimp” on.[iii] According to the U. S. Department of Energy, the amount of energy wasted each year just through poorly insulated windows and doors, a poor building envelope, is about as much energy as our county receives from the Alaskan pipeline.[iv]  An efficient building envelope ensures that the heat produced during our cold winter months, or the cool produced in summer is being captured instead of lost.   With the proper windows, insulation and regular leak  repair, the annual energy bill can be reduced by as much as 50 percent.[v]

Retrofitting an entire building envelope  can be an intimidating process, but CSB is already braving steps to do so, and saving money in the process.   Xcel Energy assists in conducting energy audits for the college.  These audits help uncover the most energy and cost efficient ways to run central energy controls.  Old window units at CSB are being phased out and most buildings have been or soon will be retrofitted with more efficient ones.[vi] 

Another focus for achieving efficiency is through the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC ) system, which typically accounts for the majority of a building’s energy consumption. As mentioned earlier, designing a proper building envelope  is one way to cut down heating and air conditioning use, but there are many other strategies to consider as well.  Using natural ventilation when the season permits, sizing air ducts appropriately for individual rooms, and implementing thermostats for individualized temperature preferences also helps reduce HVAC system energy loads.    

Currently, CSB is making headway in upgrading the efficiency of their HVAC  system.  The heating and cooling at CSB is controlled by a main computer system that allows amount of energy consumed to fluctuate according to the number of occupants in the building.[vii]  This system is upgraded annually.  In longer periods of low occupancy, such as over Christmas vacation, the main computer is turned down very low and little energy is used in buildings that few people are staying in.  CSB also has individual thermostats in 95 percent of the rooms.[viii]  At SJU , steam produced from the power plant is pumped into the buildings during the winter months no matter how hot it becomes. Energy is then wasted when people open their windows  to cool off rooms.  Only the newer apartments have individual thermostats.  At this point, the cost of installing new systems in all the buildings all at once may not be worth the energy it would save, but gradual implementation would have considerable pay-offs.

            Lighting  systems are a third significant component of energy efficiency . The systems account not only for efficient light bulbs, task lighting and photo-sensors, but for natural day-lighting as well.  One does not have to peruse the depths of the Alcuin Dewey Decimal System to notice lighting sensors on our campuses; however, many vacant classrooms remain with the lights still on.  Implementing automatic sensors where needed and the fixing broken ones already installed is one simple strategy for reaching efficiency goals.  Another lighting strategy to incorporate is daylighting .  Daylighting reduces the need for using electric lights during daytime hours, therefore saving energy and money.  Designing or remodeling buildings to incorporate day lighting, is something to keep in mind for future projects.  As for right now, incorporating daylighting can be as simple as opening the shades in our room and turning off the lights. 

            Appliances must also be carefully considered in order to achieve whole building energy efficiency .  When purchasing new appliances look for the ENERGY STAR  label.  ENERGY STAR products and appliances live up to their name by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy.  One of the major energy-leaching culprits on campus today is the small residence hall refrigerators.  A student study revealed that the refrigerators at SJU alone consume as much energy as produced by the entire coal plant.  

We can apply all the fancy energy-saving tactics available, but unless the source of the energy is renewable , we are not achieving sustainability, the core goal of this green building  design plan.  Fossil fuel s account for over 80 percent of the energy consumed in the U.S. and our own campuses contribute to this high percentage.[ix]  All the energy supplied to CSB and SJU comes from nonrenewable  resources – CSB receives all of its energy from Xcel, while SJU produces about 40 percent of its energy through a coal powered plant and purchases the rest from Xcel Energy.  Our use of fossil fuels has immediate affects right here on our campuses.  The Minnesota DNR  placed a fish consumption advisory on Lake Sagatagon due to the mercury  found in northern pike.  Mercury is emitted into the air largely form coal-fired power plants, and coincidentally the St. John’s coal plant operates adjacent to this lake.[x]

Through a whole building approach to efficiency we can help save energy, save money and in turn, save our environment .  Our institutions have been taking steps in the right direction, but many improvements must still be made.   It is time to start raising awareness and implementing the resources readily available to us.  By transforming our own energy practices, we may evolve our civilization into something better.