A-to-Z Index

Policy #1704
Energy Use

Date of Current Revision: April 2012
Responsible Officer: Associate Vice President for Business Services

1. PURPOSE

The university has made Environmental Stewardship a matter of strategic emphasis. If the university’s mission is to be fulfilled, students, faculty, staff, and the community must develop a campus culture that reflects the importance of effectively managing its natural and social resources. A critical element for the commitment to Environmental Stewardship is the effective management of energy use, which this policy addresses.

2. AUTHORITY

The Board of Visitors has delegated to the President the authority to oversee campus operations and establish university policy.

Virginia Executive Order 82 – June, 2009 – requires that no later than July, 1, 2010, each executive branch agency and institution shall have adopted and posted on its website a suite of policies regarding energy use, water use, waste reduction and travel that will reduce the environmental impacts and costs of those activities.

3. DEFINITIONS

Environmental Stewardship:
The responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect the environment.

Sustainability
Sustainability encompasses human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. (Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2009 http://www.aashe.org/about/about.php) 

Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World (ISNW)
A university department that facilitates sustainability by coordinating environmental stewardship efforts across campus, advocating for priorities, and challenging all members of the James Madison University community to think critically about their role in achieving the long-term stewardship of Earth. The ISNW serves as an internal and external point of contact for university-wide environmental stewardship activities.

4. APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all university students, faculty, staff, affiliates, and visitors.

5. POLICY

Wherever and whenever applicable and feasible, the university will adopt practices that represent making the most efficient and productive use of energy. This includes not only reducing energy use where feasible, but ensuring that energy that is consumed is used at a maximum level of productivity and efficiency.

6. PROCEDURES

  • Individuals are required to turn off lights when exiting rooms that are no longer occupied and to turn off office equipment and lights when leaving the workspace for extended periods of time and at the end of the day.
  • Set the computer power management so that the computer monitor turns off and the CPU enters hibernate or standby mode when leaving the computer for extended periods of time. Additional information may be found at http://www.jmu.edu/computing/helpdesk/selfhelp/savepower.shtml.
  • Enable power management features on laser printers and copiers, and power them down whenever possible, particularly on evenings and weekends.
  • Indoor temperatures in all spaces during occupied periods will be between 67°F-69°F during the winter and between 72F and 74 during the summer. Indoor temperature settings in all spaces during unoccupied periods will be 55° F during the winter and 85° F during the summer.
  • Spaces, such as research facilities, requiring critical temperature settings will be more tightly controlled.
  • Facilities Management monitors and adjusts the above set points in centrally controlled systems.
  • Occupants who control their own thermostats are required to adhere to these settings also.
  • Campus wide schedules for office and classroom buildings provide for occupancy from 8 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Schedules outside of these hours can be accommodated as necessary by contacting Facilities Management Work Control.
  • Schedules for buildings with unique needs such as libraries and athletic venues will be determined on a case by case basis by Facilities Management Work Control and the building occupants. The use of space heaters is prohibited.
  •  All new laboratory, clinical, research, or educational equipment will be specified to be energy efficient and to use process (non-air conditioning) chilled water or centralized heating water or steam. The use of domestic water for single pass cooling is prohibited.

The installation of new incandescent or halogen lighting is prohibited.Energy saving suggestions:

  • If window treatments are available, close blinds or shades when space is not in use.
  • Report observations of excessive energy use, concerns, or suggestions to Building Coordinators and/or Facilities Management Work Control.
  • Bulbs in desk and table lamps should be replaced with more efficient compact fluorescents.
  • Try to use natural sunlight during the day versus interior lights if possible.

7. RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees with access to manually-controlled thermostats will abide by this policy in the day and night setting of the thermostats.

Information Technology is responsible for compliance with this policy as well as Executive Order 82.

Facilities Management is responsible for compliance with this policy as well as Executive Order 82. This includes the installation of motion-sensitive light switches as well as centrally-controlled thermostats where feasible.

Building Coordinators are responsible for assisting in compliance of this policy.

Supervisors are responsible for their employees’ adherence to this policy.

8. SANCTIONS

Sanctions will be commensurate with the severity and/or frequency of the offense.

9. EXCLUSIONS

None

10. INTERPRETATION

Authority to interpret this policy rests with the President and is generally delegated to the Associate Vice President for Business Services. 

Previous Version: July, 2012
Approved by the President: November, 2009

This policy will be put into effect as of July 1, 2010.

Index Terms

Environment
Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Sustainability
The Institute for the Stewardship of the Natural World
Energy