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8 Comments
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Re: If its brown, flush it down; ... if its yellow, let it mellow|RE: more on water use in schools
2006-12-19 15:28:06 UTC
You must be young..... That phrase is not new, it was very common in California during the drought of the 1970s.
Thanks & Adios,
CJD --
Carol J. Dollard, P.E., LEED
AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151
(970) 491-6116 FAX -
Re: Costs of manufacturing Hybrid vehicles
2006-07-13 17:24:28 UTC
Interesting study results, but I am always leery of studies funded by folks who have a vested interest in the outcome. The International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles is hardly a neutral observer in this debate. I would want to see the details of the study.
Thanks & Adios,
CJD
Carol J. Dollard, P.E.,
LEED AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151
(970) 491-6116 FAX
Mailing Address: Facilities Management
Colorado State University
6030 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-6030 -
Re: solar energy use, availability and harnessing questions
2006-06-14 14:57:44 UTC
Do we question that in many places it takes a barrel of oil to get 3 barrels out of the ground? We need to apply the same standards to all f our resources instead of "picking on" renewables......
Thanks & Adios,
CJD
Carol Dollard -
Re: Looking for information on water efficiency
2006-03-01 18:05:44 UTC
We have a very successful program at reducing water use by tackling once through cooling (when equipment like autoclaves, compressors and lasers are cooled by treated water which is then sent down the drain) and installing more efficient fixtures. For example, the autoclave vendor we use on campus has a "water saving kit" that can be retrofit to reduce water usage. We installed 41 of these kits and each one saves over 35,000 gallons every month for a total of over 17 million gallons per year for all the autoclaves. The compressors, lasers and other equipment are being taken off of once through cooling and switched to our district cooling loop as funds become available. There is a slight increase in electric usage as a result of this switch, but it is more than offset by the water savings. On our main campus over the past ten years, building square footage and enrollment has increased, but water usage has actually dropped from a peak of over 300 million gallons per year to under 200 million gallons per year. Note that we irrigate with untreated water so irrigation usage is not included in these totals.
Thanks & Adios,
CJD --
Carol J. Dollard, P.E.,
LEED AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151
(970) 491-6116
FAX Mailing Address: Facilities Management
Colorado State University
6030 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-6030 -
Vending Miser Education
2006-01-05 15:39:51 UTC
We are about to install Vending Miser devices on the pop machines on campus. There has been some concern expressed that students will see the machines from a distance and since they are dark, they will think they are broken (and call it in as such), or just walk away and not buy a pop. As a result, we are going to do a PR campaign explaining how much energy we are saving and how the devices work. Have any of you done similar campaigns? I hate to reinvent the wheel. Any insight would be appreciated. If you aren't familiar with this technology - here is the website. http://www.usatech.com/energy_management/energy_vm.php
Thanks & Adios,
CJD --
Carol J. Dollard, P.E.,
LEED AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151 (970) 491-6116
FAX Mailing Address:
Facilities Management Colorado State University
6030 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523-6030
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Vegas & Greywater in Fountains
2005-12-23 09:56:07 UTC
How can they use graywater in fountains? I am pretty sure that restrictions around here imply that you cannot "spray" graywater (for example if you use it for irrigation you have to flood or drip irrigate, you can't use a sprinkler). Just curious...
Thanks & Adios,
CJD
Carol J. Dollard, P.E.,
LEED AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151
(970) 491-6116 FAX
Mailing Address: Facilities Management
Colorado State University
6030 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523-6030
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Re: Sustainability process approach
2005-11-30 11:19:24 UTC
The whole "bigger is better" mentality is so pervasive. Just recently in Boulder, Colorado a builder completed the first "Zero-Energy Home" for that area. It was widely touted in the local media. However, this "single family home" (constructed by the builder for his own family of four) was over 4500 sf finished and more than 5000 sf if you included unfinished space! How can a "million dollar starter castle" like this be touted as being soft on the planet?? The materials used to build that house could have been used to build two reasonably sized or even three modestly sized zero energy homes. The discussion from Peta in Australia points out that it takes a lot of resources to furnish a house that size as well. Perhaps natural gas prices going through the roof will make Americans start to think about smaller houses in the same way that $3/gal gas made them think about smaller, more efficient cars. Unfortunately, the housing stock is around a lot longer than the average car so we will be living with these monstrosities for decades to come. I should get off my soapbox and quit ranting, but we need to find a way around the bigger is better mentality before we can even begin to address the whole aspect of sustainability. Zero energy mansions are not the answer.
Thanks & Adios,
CJD --
Carol J. Dollard, P.E.,
LEED AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151
(970) 491-6116 FAX
Mailing Address: Facilities Management
Colorado State University
6030 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523-6030 -
Re: Computer electricity usage
2005-10-28 22:19:07 UTC
You forgot one piece. If that computer is in air conditioned space, multiply the electric loads by a factor (around here we use 1.3) which accounts for the portion of that energy that turns into heat and has to be electrically cooled. That will make the savings even better.
Thanks & Adios,
CJD --
Carol J. Dollard, P.E.,
LEED AP Utility Engineer
[email protected]
(970) 491-0151
(970) 491-6116 FAX
Mailing Address: Facilities Management Colorado State University
6030 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523-6030
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