t
4,
friday, October 23, 1981
daily nebraskan
page 7
Computer regulates energy in academic buildings
By Eric Peterson
An energy-regulating computer is the most elaborate of
the energy-saving measures being taken in UNL academic
buildings and residence halls.
Jim Hines, energy conservation manager at UNL, said
the university has had an energy computer since 1969, but
the present system was installed four years ago. The
computer, which is connected to heating and air con
ditioning monitors in 18 academic buildings, optimizes
efficiency by moderating energy usage, Hines said.
"Most of the campus buildings were designed in an era
when energy wasn't a problem, and this computer helps
reduce the inevitable waste," f lines said.
Hines said one of the buildings connected to the
computers is the Agricultural Engineering building on East
Campus, which was hooked up to the computer in the last
two weeks. The Temple building is now being connected
to the energy-regulating computer.
Residence halls study
UNL parking shortage
A standing committee formed out of the unified gov
ernment of Harper-Schramm-Smith residence halls, has
started to attack its first issue - lack of parking.
Bill Flack, Harper president and chairman of the com
mittee, said the committee is "responding to residents'
complaints."
Residents of Harper-Schramm-Smith sometimes park in
the Area 3 lot at 14th and New Hampshire streets. To get
to the lot, residents must go by a field surrounded by
barbed wire and go between two buildings. Residents are
concerned because the area they must walk in cannot
clearly be seen from the street.
Flack said the area the residents must walk through is
concealed, and could encourage assaults on residents.
'The committee needs some way to protect them (resi
dents) from attacks," Flack said.
Flack said he met with the UNL Parking Advisory
Committee. At that meeting he said he proposed some
possibilities that the PAC might consider to remedy the
problem. One possibility was to exchange Area 23, at
14th and Avery streets, a lot for commuter students, with
Area 3. A second plan would change hours of parking en
forcement in the lot.
A third alternative would change part of Area 23 to
Area 3. A fourth remedy is to improve lighting in the area.
Flack said the third proposal might be misinterpreted.
"Our committee has never suggested that Area 23 be
limited to Harper-Schramm-Smith residents, and not to
commuter students," Flack said. That would be a "dubi
ous solution," he said.
Flack said that would be an inconvenience to residents
because they would have to cross the railroad tracks,
which might cause time problems, and accidents.
Flack said he feels the residents have "quite a valid
objection," and some of the PAC members have been
sympathetic.
Gordon Scholz, PAC committee chairman, said the
committee listened to Flack at the last meeting and dis
cussed the problem.
"We will, in the future, put this on our agenda and try
to make a firm recommendation to the vice chancellor
(for business and finance)," Scholz said. "These issues
are serious issues and need to be discussed."
Flack said the plan to resolve the issue is "still in the
very early stages. This is not an easy problem to solve, I'm
convinced," he said.
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The campus residence halls, the biggest energy users on
campus, are not on the computer system because they are
economically self-supporting and can't use.sfafe funding,
Hines said.
"It's impossible to figure out exactly how much money
and energy the computer itself has saved because the
individual buildings haven't had energy monitors," Hines
said. "However, we plan to do an evaluation of energy
savings in the future,"
New roofs
Other energy-saving features implemented by the UNL
physical plant have included re-roofing of campus build
ings and making mechanical systems more energy
efficient, said Gary Thalken, engineering analyst at the
UNL physical plant.
Thalken said the combination of roof repairs, the
energy -regulating computer and other energy savers have
enabled the university to use about 5 percent less fuel.
"This is a really important savings when you consider
how much fuel costs have risen," Thalken said. "We pay
65 cents a gallon for heating oil. In 1973, before the oil
embargo, we paid 10 cents a gallon. It's the same way
with natural gas. Now it's $3.31 per million BTlTs, while
in 1973 or 1974 it was only 48 cents per million BTU's."
UNL has applied for a grant from the Department of
Energy to make more energy-saving improvements,
Thalken said.
The residence halls are also taking numerous energy
saving measures, said Douglas Zatechka, UNL director of
housing. Energy conservation measures taken over the last
four years have had considerable results, amounting to
around $165,000, or $33 per resident. Zatechka said
every residence hall contract would have had $33 added
to the bill if the energy saving steps had not been taken.
Conservation steps
Zatechka said the following steps are part of the hous
ing energy conservation program:
All incandescent lighting has been or will be changed to
energy -efficient flourescent lighting.
New roofing on all the residence halls will be finished
by the middle of next year.
"Roughly 70 percent of all heat loss from the dorms
goes through the roof, Zatechka said, because very little
insulation was used when the roofs were finished.
"The window frames in Neihardt Hall will be replaced
with metal ones next year.
"They're charming," Zatechka said referring to the old
windows, "but they're an energy disaster."
The Christmas shutdown of residence halls has saved
enegy over the last three years, Zatechka said.
New shower heads have reduced the flow of water
from eight to 10 gallons a minute to 2.1 gallons a minute.
"It makes a big difference," Zatechka said. "For in
stance, we're able to use just one major water heater in
Abel instead of two."
Saving limitations
Zatechka said there are limitations to the energy
savings which can be made in the residence halls. For
example, he said, thermal windows would save large
amounts of energy but would be too expensive to install
at this time.
"We've done about all we can do in the easy-to-do and
or inexpensive category," he said.
The UNL Office of Housing has received grant money
from the U.S. Department of Energy for energy-saving
measures, and will try to get more money for improve
ments, Zatechka said.
Zatechka advised students who live in residence halls to
try to be as conscientious as possible in conserving energy
by turning off lights and stereos whenever they're not
being used. He said some sacrifices are necessary.
"We're turning on the air conditioning later in the
spring and turning it off earlier in the fall," Zatechka said.
"We're turning down the heater. It's the same in my own
house. I would like to set the thermostat at 75; and be
extremely warm, but as fuel prices rise, we have to do
more of these kinds of things."
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