Go Green
Energy Conservation
Towson University understands the effect of energy consumption on both the environment and the budget. With the cost of energy rising and environmental concerns growing, the university is proactively limiting energy consumption whenever and wherever possible. Our professional facilities management staff strives to increase conservation by incorporating energy-conserving features into university buildings and systems. We challenge our students, faculty and staff members to take the same approach at home. Take shorter showers. Switch off lights when leaving a room or use daylight if available. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Carpool with neighbors or walk when traveling short distances. Simple, cost-free energy reductions can make a big impact not only on our campus, but on the world.
The university is working to reduce its impact on the environment by adopting new processes that decrease energy consumption and implementing new technologies that make more efficient use of energy. Did you know that the campus day care center uses passive solar heating in the winter with a shading overhang to reduce the impact of the sun in the summer? There are many little-known facts about energy conservation on campus.
Energy Conservation on Campus
See how well you know Towson's energy conservation practices by counting the number of items you are aware of from the following list:
- The university’s facilities management group works with building coordinators across campus to determine each building’s peak occupation hours, and then uses that schedule to set automatic controls to go into “energy save” mode during off hours.
- The Administration Building uses high performance windows with low-E glass to control heat gain, while providing plenty of day lighting for internal open office areas.
- 7800 York Road was built with a high-performance, back ventilated terra cotta rain screen wall system that provides a higher level of insulation and reduces air filtration into the building, improving the building’s air quality and enabling HVAC systems to operate more efficiently there.
- Boilers at the campus power plant receive annual tune-ups to continually increase their efficiency. This allows the boilers to operate at an 80 - 85% mark, well above the industry norm of 70 – 75%.
- Occupancy sensors in many campus buildings allow lights to automatically turn off when rooms are not in use.
- The high-performance HVAC system in our Administration Building makes ice at night, when electricity demand and rates are lower, and then uses it to provide air conditioning during the day, saving money and lowering stress on system during peak demand hours.
- Energy renovations and enhancements, such as piping reinsulation and insulation replacement, are always ongoing on campus, and are currently being performed in Smith Hall.
- Classrooms in the 7800 building were placed on the north side of the building with large windows to provide day lighting and reduce air conditioning loads, allowing the building to run on less energy.
- Though the university is undergoing enormous construction, preservation is also a priority. Since 2001 more than 15 acres of high-priority forest stand areas on campus have been placed into perpetual conservation easements for preservation.
These are just a few examples of how Towson is reducing its energy consumption on campus. Stay tuned for more information about the green features planned for upcoming campus buildings!
| 
