Portland saw some record setting heat in early July, but summer isn’t over yet. Here are some hot tips to keep you and PCC a cool place to work, save the college some money and make the planet a better place for everyone. We’ve got some hot tips for reducing energy consumption in your office, in the break room and in public spaces as well as tips on how to stay comfortable. We’ve also included some tips for you at home.
PowerShift [pdf] is an educational campaign targeted at faculty and staff to conserve energy in offices and buildings. Email sustainability@pcc.edu to request Power Shift materials for placement around PCC.
Close your blinds – this is especially important if you are located on the south and west side of your buildings
Shut down your computers and monitors and computers at night and run the energy saving software during the day, unless running your machine non-stop is critical. Power settings can be set to go to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity.
Use the dark themes on your computer and mobile devices.
Unplug/turn off unnecessary appliances, machines and unneeded incandescent lights – these all give off heat
Is the breakroom refrigerator nearly empty? Store gallon containers of water to help the fridge run efficiently. Label the containers so folks know what their purpose is and if they have an expiration date.
Are your break room appliances the right size? Consider right sizing them.
Keep all classroom and meeting room doors closed; the buildings designed to heat and cool most effectively with these doors closed. The same is true for offices with their own heating and cooling zones.
Be especially mindful of keeping doors closed while making multiple trips in and out of buildings.
Do bring a thermos full of ice to work and make good use of the bottle refilling stations throughout campus
Wear layered clothing/bring extra changes of clothing. Buildings may feel especially cool in the morning; this is to keep the power from surging in the afternoon, which could cause blackouts
Do not run space heaters
Unplug your personal devices when not in use
Keep all classroom doors closed; these buildings are not designed to run efficient cooling & heating for open doors
File a work order if spaces are too hot or too cold.
If it’s safe for you to do so, open your windows at night as soon as it’s cooler outside than inside
If you live in a multi-story home, place a fan blowing the air out of the house on the top story to bring cooler air into your home and use fans to draw cool air in from the bottom story on the coolest side of the house
Make sure your refrigerator & freezer aren’t overpacked to keep them running at peak efficiency
Clean the air filters on your air conditioner and vacuum the coils on your refrigerator
Regularly change your air filters
Performance annual maintenance on your air conditioners outer coils,
Purchase Energy Star Rated equipment to keep your energy costs down
Add thermal insulating curtains to prevent heat loss through your windows.
Upgrade to an automated thermostat.
Track your energy consumption for trending extremities and pattern recognition.
Go to Energy Trust of Oregon for incentives for residential energy efficiency improvements
Strategic Energy Management (SEM) focuses on continuous energy improvement by optimizing the performance of existing building systems and equipment, influencing employee and occupant behavior and investing in economically beneficial capital improvements.
PCC receives financial incentives by participating in planning energy savings projects, engaging in operations calls with Energy Coaches, workshop participation, tracking projects and energy use and by demonstrating annual energy savings in our enrolled buildings. The program is supported though the Energy Trust of Oregon and financed through rate payers utility bills.
