As a result of partnering with various campus buildings, the University’s Planet Blue Operations Team exceeded its goal in decreasing energy consumption for the 2010 fiscal year.

Since the establishment of the Planet Blue Operations Team in fall 2008, the University has saved about $3.5 million annually by curtailing the consumption of energy in campus buildings. Overall, Planet Blue cut consumption in 44 University buildings by 12 percent in the 2010 fiscal year, according to a Dec. 14, 2010 Planet Blue press release.

This represents a 1-percent increase over the 2009 fiscal year, when the University reduced energy use by 11 percent in 30 buildings, according to Planet Blue’s website.

Because of initiatives to increase the University’s energy efficiency, cost savings and environmental sustainability are projected to climb in the upcoming years, according to Terrance Alexander, executive director of the University's Office of Campus Sustainability.

“We set for the Planet Blue Operations Program … a goal of 5-percent energy reduction in buildings, so hitting over 10 percent is far exceeding what we had expected at that point, and we think it’s just going to get better as time goes on,” Alexander said.

In addition to leading Planet Blue, Alexander oversees other significant sustainability initiatives at the University, including recycling efforts and water conservation.

Though the University has been working on energy conservation projects for the last 20 years, the recent projects have given these efforts a new level of success, Alexander said.

For the 2011 fiscal year, the University’s goal to achieve a 5-percent decrease in energy use in campus buildings will remain the same, but about 30 additional buildings will begin projects in energy efficiency. These buildings include the Ruthven Museum of Natural History, the Bentley Historical Library, several engineering buildings on North Campus and the School of Dentistry — bringing the total number of campus buildings involved in Planet Blue projects to 90.

Alexander emphasized two pivotal factors in evaluating the overall success of the programs — ensuring the building’s conservation systems run as efficiently as possible and teaching occupants how to operate the building in the most sustainable way.

“We can do all the things that we can technically to make things work right, but if the people still don’t understand how to make it work right as they’re working in the building, we’re not (going to) get there, so the combination of the two is really what makes it a successful program,” Alexander said.

Stephen Hipkiss, facilities and operations manager of the Hatcher Graduate Library, echoed Alexander’s sentiments about the importance of the partnership between Planet Blue and the employees working in buildings around campus. He said the Planet Blue Operations Team’s instructions are a key component of yielding positive results in sustainability on campus.

While the library has been working on energy conservation for more than 10 years, Hipkiss said Hatcher has been particularly successful in the last four or five years following partnerships with Energy Star and Planet Blue. He said improvements in motion sensor lighting in the south stacks area have been especially helpful in cutting energy consumption.

“Lights that would be burning normally 18 hours a day are not burning if there’s nobody using a particular study carrel area,” Hipkiss said.

He added that the lights benefit students looking for a study spot.

"When a student comes onto a floor they can immediately see where there are carrels that are available for their use because there won’t be light on above them until they enter the carrel,” he said.

As a result of the library’s partnership with Planet Blue, Hatcher South avoided $109,000 in energy costs between July 2009 and June 2010.