2021 Energy Holiday closure

DATE:           Thursday, December 16, 2021

TO:               Managers, Directors, Chairs and Deans

FROM:          Gary Bridgens, Director, Maintenance & Operations, Facilities Management

RE:                UVic Holiday Closure | Energy Conservation 

The University of Victoria is once again planning for a “green” holiday season break and we are asking for your assistance in helping to reduce the carbon footprint. As part of our goal to make UVic a leader in sustainability, we have identified a number of actions to save energy and conserve our resources during the closure.

  • From, December 25th, 2021 – January 3rd, 2022, temperatures in all major buildings will be lowered to 16°C. The temperature in areas that are sensitive to temperature change (i.e. animal care, etc.) will not be lowered during this period.
  • Exhaust fans, fume hoods and building lighting will be turned off where possible, after consultation by Facilities Management with researchers. Exceptions will be managed.
  • Residence buildings are unaffected since students are in residence over that period.
  • The temporary dining facility will be open during this period and maintained at normal temperature.
  • Staff are requested to leave their computers turned on and left in “sleep” mode for this period. Printers and other equipment should be turned off.

We expect that these simple strategies will reduce UVic’s greenhouse gas emissions significantly during this time period, substantially reducing our carbon footprint and energy costs.

Please note that the HVAC modifications that were announced for COVID mitigation ahead of September classes remain in place and are not affected by this action.

If you are working over the holiday closure, please wear a sweater rather than plugging in a portable heater as these can be unsafe and will negate the energy savings earned by turning down the heat.

We appreciate the efforts of the campus community to help us reduce energy waste on campus.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Gary Bridgens, Director of Maintenance & Operations, Facilities Management, at 250-721-6553 or bridgens@uvic.ca.