Penn State to participate in emergency electrical reduction test

Penn State to participate in emergency electrical reduction test

University Park, Pa. -- From 3 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, Penn State's University Park campus will be participating in a regional emergency electricity load reduction test. All University employees and students are requested to turn off all unnecessary lighting, office equipment, coffee pots, dehumidifiers and air conditioning under individual control. All safety lighting and equipment is exempt and should remain on throughout the test.

This test event will demonstrate Penn State’s capability to reduce its electricity load when called upon during national or regional power emergencies. The Interruptible Load for Reliability (ILR) Program is an emergency "capacity" program in which participants pledge to reduce their load by a specified amount. The objective of the ILR Program is to cost-effectively protect the day-to-day reliability of the regional grid that our campus relies upon.

The Office of Physical Plant will be working behind the scenes to reduce the University's overall electrical load during this one-hour test. Employees may notice that some indoor temperatures in non-critical spaces have been adjusted by four degrees. Other spaces may have their heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment operation schedule changed to the “unoccupied” setting. Most other initiatives will be transparent to employees. The test will not cause any extended outages or major disruption of normal electrical services.

Last year, the Penn State community was able to reduce its electric power load by 5,000 kilowatt-hours. That reduction equals nearly 1.5 times the electricity demand of all the homes in Bellefonte. This year, the University hopes to more than double that number. All employees are empowered to reduce lighting in public spaces. This includes all empty classrooms, corridors and hallways where lower light settings are available.

Corridors and hallways in most University Park Campus buildings are designed with lights that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which are connected to emergency power in case of normal power failure. These lights should illuminate the public spaces well enough to meet code requirements. Those who have questions concerning a particular space should contact OPP prior to the test.

Here are some everyday electrical reduction tips to consider:

-- Shut off all office equipment and lights that are not needed. This includes computers, monitors, printers, copiers, coffee makers and task lighting.
-- Unplug iPod, digital camera and cell phone chargers not in use.
-- Keep exterior doors closed in air-conditioned buildings. Make sure operable windows are closed, too.
-- Personal space heaters should not be used to compensate for excessive air conditioning.
-- Remember that personal portable space heaters are NOT permitted in University buildings unless provided by OPP for extraordinary circumstances.
-- Visit http://www.green.psu.edu/ for more information.

For more information, contact Mike Prinkey at 814-863-4091 or mip103@psu.edu, or Paul Ruskin at 814-863-9620 or pdr2@psu.edu.