RELEASED: December 11, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—When classes end on Dec. 12, several energy-saving measures will go into effect on Centre College's campus as part of an ongoing effort to be environmentally responsible and to reduce costs.

During the holidays, boiler temperatures will be lowered and fan coil speeds reduced in all residence, academic and administrative buildings not in use; thermostats will be lowered; water heaters will be turned down or off; and lights will be turned off in unused areas.

But more importantly, much is going on behind the scenes to make permanent changes that will reduce the College's environmental impact. Wayne King, director of facilities management, plays a lead role the effort.

"Last winter we replaced the chiller (cooling system) at the Norton Center for the Arts with a new type of system that should be about 20 percent more energy efficient," King says. "We've replaced several 150-watt can lights at Norton with 14-watt LED lights, and plan to replace about 20 more over the holidays."

King goes on to say that light levels in corridors and public areas are being reduced – while maintaining good visibility – in most large residence halls and general and academic buildings across campus. This is being accomplished by simply removing selected bulbs as is deemed practical. Incandescent bulbs are being replaced with 18-watt compact fluorescent bulbs.

Faculty, staff and students are also pitching in to conserve energy. Computers and lights are being turned off when not in use, and thermostats are being turned down. But some of the more public areas of campus are a little trickier.

"We're replacing the existing switches on all three gyms in Sutcliffe Athletic Center with key switches," King says. "Athletics will be able to control those switches to prevent the lights being left on. We're also installing one-hour timer switches on the lights over mirrors in all dormitory bathrooms."

Striving for energy efficiency has been an ongoing goal for Centre. Last summer, the College bought 11 used electric golf carts for use by the facilities management and public safety departments in lieu of full-sized gasoline-engine vehicles. King calculates that use of the carts has saved more than 500 gallons of gas so far.

Pearl Hall, Centre's newest residence hall, was built using design features that achieve energy conservation, promote occupant health and are recommended by the U.S. Green Building Council program for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED Certification of Pearl Hall is pending.

Click here for more stories on Centre's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.