Energy conservation is increasingly on the mind of the campus community.

Bob Harrington, director of the Physical Plant, said it is time for students, faculty and staff to become more aware of their energy usage.

“I’ve done this every year for the past four or five years,” he said. “It’s the most expensive season because all of our coolers run on electricity.”

Harrington recently sent a memo out across campus urging faculty and staff members to conserve electricity by turning off lights, computers and appliances while not in use.

The memo is not the first step the Physical Plant has taken to dampen electrical costs. Earlier in the year, more energy-efficient lights were put in across campus, replacing the old ones.

Harrington said the measures are good, but sometimes difficult to estimate in terms of savings. However, he said it is important for everyone to think about the conservation efforts.

“Even students, they can do their part to help us prevent costs,” Harrington said.

Dr. Terri Agee, vice president for business affairs, said she is in favor of the efforts Harrington and his staff have taken to help prevent overuse of electricity.

“We’ve paid attention to energy costs,” she said. “It’s always been an area we’ve paid close attention to.”

Harrington said there are several measures the campus community can take to help lower energy use.

These steps include turning lights on only when needed, turning computers off at night, using publicly lit areas and recycling.

“We have a very big recycling program on campus,” Agee said.

Harrington said students can help costs by recycling plastic and paper products in the bins across campus in various areas. He said though the program does not directly bring Missouri Southern much money, it helps reduce the costs of hauling excess waste off through the trash companies.

Also, air conditioners can be kept at higher temperatures at certain times during the day so they are not running constantly. One example of regulating the air systems is the Johnson Central System on campus.

This system allows the Physical Plant to set the high temperature and time during the night for the air conditioning system to shut down when not in critical use. It also allows for an individual change in the room temperatures.

“We can regulate the temperature from room to room now versus the whole building,” Agee said.

With the old system, during the summer months, the system would turn off on weekends and allow humidity to build up in the buildings. This caused warping of tiles and moisture buildup. The repairs, which resulted from the damage due to moisture, were costing more money than the system was saving.

“The new system has resulted in substantial energy savings,” Agee said.

Harrington said the measures are simple and quick.

“It’s just common sense,” he said.

Harrington said he has received feedback from several people and is open to suggestions. For more information, or to make a suggestion, e-mail him at [email protected] or call him at 625-3191.