Turn Down for What?

For Sustainability!

While buildings on campus are unoccupied, there’s no need to keep them running at full steam. Beginning in April, University Facilities took the opportunity to turn down our building systems to save energy.

What do we mean when we say “building systems”?

Everything that keeps the building running and comfortable for its occupants – our students, faculty, and staff. This includes heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems and lighting.

How do you “turn down” a building?

Most of the buildings on campus are controlled by a building automation system (BAS) – a centralized system/software that lets staff in Facilities control the building systems remotely. This means that they can change the settings for more efficient operation while buildings are unoccupied.

So, what are we actually doing?

Many of the lights in our buildings are connected to occupancy sensors. If the sensor doesn’t detect a person in the room, it won’t turn on. Problem solved!

Unoccupied buildings had their temperatures set back. This means decreasing the heating temperature by four (4) degrees and increasing the cooling temperature by four (4) degrees. Using these setback temperatures means that the heating and cooling won’t need to turn on as often in an unoccupied building.

There are a few buildings that are not on the BAS and don’t have occupancy sensors for the lights. These were adjusted manually by Facilities staff who conducted walk-throughs and we will continue to monitor them.

It may not seem like much, but these small efforts across many buildings can add up to significant energy savings.

Check out our Energy Dashboards to see real time usage!

Learn more about Sustainability in Facilities.

Questions? Reach out to us at sustainable-facilities@montclair.edu.