Energy Conservation

CSU Channel Islands, under the leadership of Department of Facilities Services (FS), has pursued energy conservation efforts on campus since our initial prioritization of sustainability at the beginning of the 2008-2009 academic year. As our campus is constantly growing in students, staff and buildings, our energy demands will also continue to increase. 

Figure 2: CSUCI's annual electricity usage per full-time equivalent student consistently decreases compared to the baseline usage (average of 2008-2009 FY and 2009-2010 FY).

Figure 3: Million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) are used to depict the total energy consumed by CSUCI year after year. On campus, we utilize natural gas, steam and electricity, so we use MMBTU as an equivalent unit for all three types of energy. With CI's consistently-growing student body, we still manage to decrease our annual energy consumption and exceed our energy conservation goals due to the diligent efforts of students, faculty and staff. In the 2020-21 fiscal year, we decreased our overall energy consumption by an all-time high of 60% compared to our baseline energy usage (an average of 2008-2009 FY and 2009-2010 FY). Much of this reduction is attributed to reduced population on campus due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Energy Conservation Tips:

• Wash clothes in cold water – it cleans just as well without having to pay to heat it.
• Use ceiling fans to cool off for less. Ceiling fans use about the same amount of electricity as a standard light bulb. However, be sure to turn fans off when you leave a room — they only cool people, not rooms.
• Use LED light bulbs to save money and energy. LED bulbs use less energy and don’t get as hot, reducing the need for cooling. Make sure you’re using the appropriate LED bulb for your light fixture – they come in various sizes and colors for different lighting needs.
• Wear layers and use blankets or fans instead of adjusting the thermostat up or down at home or in the office.
• Make sure to close windows and doors when running air handling units - they are ineffective at changing the temperature outside!
• Make it a habit to turn off lights when you leave a room. Utilize natural light whenever possible.
• Unplug devices and appliances when not in use.
• Use motion-detector lights for outdoor lighting – they’re convenient and efficient as they only use energy when they detect occupancy.
• Avoid letting your car idle - an idling car wastes fuel and pollutes the environment.
• Save money, gas, and reduce pollution by carpooling, walking, biking, or using public transportation whenever possible.

Figure 4: How Much Energy Do Appliances Use? via Public Utilities Commission

Energy Conservation Projects

• Conducting lighting surveys in nearly a dozen campus buildings to evaluate the feasibility of LED lighting and potential energy savings
• Optimizing building controls in the campus Data Center and Central Plant to improve efficiency of the university's main heating and cooling systems.
• Retrofitting street lamps from induction lamps to more efficient LED lamps.
• Performing EPA Energy Star bench-marking analyses and adding more Energy Star appliances
• Designing and developing a "low cost" solar retrofit system for current parking lot lights on campus

...and recently completed

• Activated 3.6 MW solar array along University Drive. The array will provide about 68% of the university's annual electricity needs.
• Converted Bell Tower's HVAC system to a more efficient VAV
• Replaced Arroyo Gym lighting with new LED lamps to save energy and improve safety
• Energy conservation encouragement stickers put up by light switches in all buildings on campus
• Installed LED lights in North Parking Lot and exploring feasibility of implementing LEDs campus-wide in the future