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Employees urged to power down during holiday closure

by Tonya Durlach

Dec. 12, 2011 | WMU News

KALAMAZOO--Holiday recess at Western Michigan University begins with the end of fall semester Dec. 17, and the annual holiday closure begins Saturday, Dec. 24. WMU offices reopen Tuesday, Jan. 3, and classes begin Monday, Jan. 9.

WMU faculty and staff are encouraged to contribute to energy conservation by not returning to their offices during the closure and by following several guidelines before leaving campus for the holidays. These same tips can help reduce energy costs in your home.

Before you leave for the holidays

• Turn off and unplug all appliances, including microwaves, clocks, coffee makers, televisions and radios. Even when turned off, many appliances use small amounts of electricity.
• Refrigerators used for food storage should be emptied, cleaned and unplugged. Prop the door open slightly to allow air circulation and avoid mildew.
• Turn off and unplug equipment, such as copiers, fax machines, printers, scanners, and battery and cell phone chargers. Most equipment and chargers draw electricity even when turned off.
• Shut down desktop computers and unplug them only after checking instruction manuals to see if unplugging for extended periods may result in loss of preferences or other settings. When in doubt, shut down computers, but leave them plugged in.
• Shut down laptop computers. If you have a University-owned laptop that you are authorized to take with you, take it home for the holidays and exercise standard care.
• Turn off all lights before leaving for the holidays, and as a regular practice in all rooms and areas not in use.

To reduce energy costs during holiday recess and closure, temperature settings in most campus buildings will be reduced to no lower than 55 degrees. Vacant residence halls and classrooms will be set back beginning Dec. 17. Office spaces will be set back starting Dec. 24. All areas will be back to the normal temperature setting of 69 degrees by Jan. 3, when the University reopens.

Also to reduce costs, parking lots outside unoccupied buildings and student commuter lots will not be plowed during the recess and closure periods. All main campus roads and parking areas for on-campus events will continue to be cleared as usual.

Related article
Many WMU offices closed during holiday recess | Dec. 12, 2011