Bundle up if you work over the holidays

UVic is planning for a ‘green’ holiday season break. As part of its goal to be a leader in sustainability, and to help reduce its carbon footprint during holiday closure, the university has identified a number of actions to save energy and conserve resources.

 

During the holiday closure, temperatures in all major buildings will be reduced by a few degrees to 16C. Exhaust fans, fume hoods and building lighting will be turned off where possible, after consultation by Facilities Management with researchers. All staff are encouraged to ensure their computers, printers, copiers and other equipment in their work areas are turned off as well. Temperatures in areas sensitive to temperature changes will not be reduced during this time.

 

These simple strategies will reduce UVic’s greenhouse gas emissions during this time period by about 41 tonnes, substantially lowering our carbon footprint and our energy costs.

 

Staff working over the holiday break who find their buildings chilly are advised to wear an extra sweater rather than plugging in a portable heater, which can be unsafe and negate the energy savings earned by turning down the heat. Staff might want to wear that sweater again on the first day back at work as the buildings may take awhile to return to normal temperatures.