By Paige Vonk
Sustainability campaign due to odd temperatures.
Physical resources is launching a sustainability awareness program called “Vent it Now” to help students understand the heating and cooling changes happening in B-building.
An HVAC retrofit has been underway in B-building since the summer. As a result, some parts of the building might feel a little warmer or cooler than ideal.
The campaign will allow students to vent about the temperature conditions in B building. There will be a website as well as opportunities for students to learn more about the sustainability elements of the retrofit. If students want to vent about feeling too warm or cold, table events will allow them receive a voucher for a warm drink if they are feeling cold and a cold drink if they are feeling warm from the Portable Feast.
“We really don’t have that expectation that any students are feeling that absolute need of ‘oh my gosh it’s too much for me to stand, I’m going to have to vent’,” said Sarah Dehler, sustainability coordinator.
Awareness of energy and sustainability is the main goal of the campaign and to get the word out to a large population.
There are five new air handling units that were installed over the summer that still need to be tested, tuned and commissioned. Most of the action will now be taking place after hours, including the testing, but there is still a good chance that this will affect the temperature of rooms during morning hours.
“It’s that unpredictability level that we want to prepare students for,” said Dehler. “The concept of dressing in layers and just being able to cope a little bit.”
This is part of the larger ESCO2 sustainability project, but the HVAC retrofit alone will be saving the college $500,000 per year.