Environmental Stewardship Committee - Greening the campus - Water and Energy Savings
Over the last several years, the Augsburg College Facilities department has been making changes to buildings on campus to reduce the amount of water and energy used.
Water conservation
A two-phase campus water conservation project began in 2003. In phase I (November 2003 to September 2006), new fixtures in Anderson Hall reduced water consumption in that building by 9.8 million gallons to date.
In phase II, new water fixtures in other campus buildings reduced water consumption across the entire campus by 2.25 million gallons from March 2006 through October 2006.
Steam water conservation
Where steam is used on campus, improvements have been made to reduce the amount of steam (and therefore, water and energy) needed. Insulation in steam vaults prevents heat loss and reduces consumption. In addition, new water heaters use less steam and allow improved temperature control in the hot water systems. Improved temperature control also means less steam is needed.
Energy conservation
Across campus, lighting fixtures have been upgraded to higher-efficiency bulbs and fixtures which require less electricity to power them. Ventilation fans have been fitted with variable-frequency drives, allowing fan speed and electricity consumption to be reduced when a higher horsepower is not necessary.
In addition, tune-ups on campus boilers increased the boiler efficiency resulting in lower use of natural gas in these boilers.
