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Western Kentucky University tried an energy savings experiment over its recent winter break. In the face of a utility budget shortfall of more than half a million dollars, they shut down the campus for an additional week after their usual two-week winter break. Their facility managers set back thermostats in buildings, turned off all lighting except lights needed for safety, unplugged vending machines and water fountains, and turned off water heaters and other unneeded energy-users. Their energy bills showed a drop of more than one million kilowatt hours of electricity and a cost savings of $128,000. They also estimate eliminating 1,112 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Their emissions reduction is equivalent to taking 185 passenger vehicles off the road for one year, and their electricity savings could provide enough electricity to power 97 homes for a year.
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