On the path to powering campus sustainability
At the direction of President Pamela Whitten, Indiana University has established a Climate Action Planning Committee to develop comprehensive recommendations to identify short- and long-term opportunities to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from its various campuses and units.
Purchased green power
IU Indianapolis purchases 10% of its total electricity usage as renewable energy thanks to AES Indiana's Green Power Option. The small premium assessed for this purchase goes back to supporting renewable energy development in the Midwest. IU Indianapolis's green power use of more than 20 million kWh is equivalent to the combined annual electricity use of more than 1,800 average American homes.
Solar power
IU Indianapolis has solar panels on top of the BS/SPEA building. Installed in 2013, these panels produce 43 kilowatts of electricity a day, an amount that would supply the daily electricity needs of over two dozen houses. The 164 solar panels, measuring 77 by 39 inches each, supply a portion of the building's power needs, offsetting some electricity costs.
Energy efficiency
IU Indianapolis employs a number of best practices in energy efficiency: LED lighting on occupancy and photoelectric sensors; cloud-enabled, smart sub-metered buildings; variable frequency drives on motor and pumps; HVAC systems tied to space utilization; LEED building commitment; and more. These efforts have driven down IU Indianapolis's energy usage per square foot, despite the addition of more campus buildings.
Temperature set points
IU has adopted university-wide temperature set points aimed at balancing occupant comfort with energy efficiency. These set points are aligned with OSHA recommendations.
Housing
Winter heating range: 68-72 F
Summer cooling range: 74-78 F
All other buildings
Winter set point: 70 F
Summer set point: 76 F
There are set point exceptions for special use spaces like labs and collections.
If your office temperature is outside of IU’s temperature set points, submit a help ticket to have your space checked by facility operations staff.
Take action
Read energy-related news stories
Visit the sustainability news page which includes stories on energy efficiency measures at IU Indianapolis.
Power down before you go
If you'll be away from campus during breaks or vacations, power down your workspace to conserve energy.
Heat people, not spaces
Instead of using a space heater to heater the space beyond the temperature set points, warm up using extra layers or an electric blanket.