the Rice Thresher

Issue date: 8/22/08 Section: News

Media Credit: David Rosales and Sean McBeath

Though Houston may be a good city for concerts, multi-ethnic cuisine and shopping, it is not for cheap energy. At the end of fiscal year 2007-'08, which ended in June, Rice's total energy costs rose $4 million, from $12 million to $16 million. Director of Sustainability Richard Johnson (Will Rice '92) said this jump is attributed to the rising costs of energy and not to increased consumption. For students, this jump in energy prices may show up in future on-campus housing costs, Johnson said.

Energy includes electricity; chilled water, for air conditioning; and steam, for heat, which service most of the buildings on campus. Johnson said Rice is not using any more energy per square foot than it has in the past, though due to the rising energy costs the school is under more pressure to reduce its energy consumption.

"It's as if you're drinking the same gallon of milk each week that you always have, but the price has gone from $2.50 a gallon to $5.00 a gallon," Johnson said.

Johnson said this year's figure is a far cry from the $4 million Rice paid almost ten years ago for energy.

"We're no longer in an era of cheap energy," Johnson said.

The science buildings, most notably George R. Brown Hall, are the biggest consumers of energy on campus, Johnson said. Unlike most campus buildings, which recirculate the air, science buildings use single-pass air - air that cannot be recirculated - as lab rooms may contain contaminants. Instead, the air exits through exhaust. Residential colleges and serveries, meanwhile, use about 20 percent of on-campus energy. Mudd Building is a large consumer of energy as it houses many computer servers, which require electrical energy. The heat generated by computers also requires more air conditioning, which in turn consumes more energy.

Newly-built facilities on campus are not increasing energy costs per square foot, Johnson said.

Johnson said many students may get the wrong idea about energy consumption given the fixed price of housing and dining.

"What a lot of students don't necessarily know is that they pay for electricity costs with [Housing and Dining] expenses," Johnson said.

Johnson said Facilities, Engineering & Planning, as well as the energy steering committee, is looking to reduce the energy used on campus starting with the thermostat. Johnson said he recommends setting the thermostat at 76-77 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and maintaining a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Following the success of last October's residential college energy-saving competition, which decreased energy usage by $15,000, Johnson said he hopes to plan a similar competition this fall.

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