Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon

Lighting:
Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Take advantage of natural light.

Computers and related Equipment:
Turn of computers and monitors when you will be away for half an hour or more. Turn off personal printers at night and on weekends. It does not use more energy to turn equipment on and off! Use duplex printing option when you print. Use old forms or used paper for faxing. If you need a clean copy, you can always scan and print on unused paper later. Don’t print out agendas. Instead, send them in an e-mail and display them on screen during meetings.

Surroundings:
Turn off or unplug equipment that is not in use, such as coffeemakers, shredders, fans, battery chargers, etc. Keep doors and windows closed in temperature-controlled buildings. Dress appropriately for the weather and have additional clothing available in case you are too cold in your space. Keep hallway doors closed.

Temperature Control:
Report overheated or overcooled conditions to Facilities. Facilities personnel can be reached at 507-457 4500.

Lab Refrigeration:
Combine laboratory refrigerator and/or freezer contents and unplug empty refrigerators or freezers. Set temperatures as low as necessary for current lab work. Dust coils on back of refrigerators and clean the door seal. If the seal won’t hold a dollar bill in place, ask your lab manager to install a new one.

Fume Hoods:
A typical fume hood uses more than 3 times the energy as the average US home. Operate hoods with the sash at proper height for safety. Close sashes to the minimum position when fume hoods are not in active use.

Lab Operations:
Wait until you have a full load before running automatic glassware washers or autoclaves. Turn equipment off when not in use, especially when you are leaving the lab for more than an hour. Keep the hallway door closed. This is not only a safety measure; it also helps keep the building air system in balance. Consider adding flow restrictors and/or timers to lab sinks to minimize water use (especially hot water use).

Dorm, Apartment, or Home:
Replace Incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. Add or replace door seals. Buy high efficiency heating systems with separate a system for hot water heaters, or have a system with additional insulated hot water storage. When adding or replacing an air conditioning systems, buy Energy Star rated units: Consider variable speed/multi-stage units; There are only a few hours per year when full speed/full capacity of air conditioning systems are needed;

Multi-stage units use considerably less energy than single stage units when operated over a wide range of outdoor conditions.