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Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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Save Our School:
Going Green
Professional Writing
-- ENC 3250
Isaac Cody
Sophia Constantini
Aliyah Cunningham
Michael Moore
Thai Ngo
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary..................................................................3
The Issues: Introduction............................................................3
Energy Efficient Technologies..................................................4
Real World Applications.......................................................6
The Science Behind the Word....10
Conclusion..............................................................................12
Glossary of Terms...................................................................15
Work Cited..............................................................................16
Annotated Bibliography..........................................................18
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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Executive Summary
With prices increasing and resources reducing, universally developing an eco -friendly worldview is vital for us to maintain a clean and efficient environment. Our five member team as researched into various ways that the University of Floridas green initiative is currently utilized and better ways that is can be advanced for the future. More specifically,
our team has uncovered methods and devices for restricting energy usage.
We will describe devices, such as energy regulators in hardwiring. Studies involved behind conserving energy usage present data supporting that installing energy efficient technology
greatly reduce costs to consumers.
By presenting this information, we hope to share with classmates and the pu blic of the
methods that we may each make a personal step into being environmentally friendly. By utilizing and adapting USFs current green initiative to our own lives, we may help maintain
our environment.
What Are The Issues:
Introduction
At the University of South, the holistic
green initiative is composed of multiple
regulations, service efforts, and
educational functions made to equip the
student body and related staff with the
knowledge and resources to better care for
our environment. The approaches we will
be focusing on for this White Paper
include, having energy efficient lights
which automatically shut off while, unused
electronics to be automatically turned on
idle, and using Safe -Strip Powerstrips for
computers and its accessories
One of the many environmentally friendly
installations to the campus has been
automatically idling lights and electronic
devices. When electrical devices are
constantly in use, even when not being
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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used, energy is wasted, costs continue to
grow exponentially, and pose exhaustion
to our natural resources. This angle of
University of South Floridas green
initiative will be our concentration,
throughout this white paper project.
Here is a line graph showing the amount of
savings a school in Ireland could save over
five years (just about 60%) due to Project
Green Classroom by installing LED lights
in classrooms. It has been said that this
upgrade will make the school greener, and
should save 1,000s in electricity and
maintenance costs. Whats great about
Project Green Classrooms installation
process is that it is quick, taking
approximately two days outside of school
hours, and there is a free no obligation
survey and proposal.
Energy Efficient
Technologies
Our approach is to help our campus
become green friendly by installing energy
efficient lighting and highlighting where
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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our campus is using cost effective lighting.
For instance, Sophia was able to discover
Renee Louxs work, Easy Green
Living. By having energy efficient
lightbulbs that turn off automatically, not
only would the school be saving energy,
but also money. Standard incandescent
lightbulbs cost almost twice as more, and
also waste about 90% of the energy of
which they draw in creating heat instead of
light. Another idea we as a group had was
using Smart Strips to idle electronics such
as computers, scanners, and printers. A
Smart Strip can tell when you turn off your
computer and will automatically shut off
the peripherals that are also plugged into
it.Smart Strips are not just good for
computers and its peripherals, it can also
work for televisions and entertainment
equipment. Not to mention, Ike found
information from a research study
performed on a single floor of a fourteen
story building in San Francisco. The
information was gathered over a year- long
period focusing on the energy savings
from installing new devices to better gauge
and automatically manage energy usage
for lighting systems on the floor. Ballasts
for lights, which effectively reduced
energy usage by about 20% than the prior
setup and photocell technology in
combination with the rotary controls
reduced energy usage by approximately
43-61% per day. Overall, the research
showed an approximately a 50% energy
saving for the floor. As for me, my
research was Inventors David G. Luchaco
and James M. Yorgey that have created a
lighting control system with priority
override. This invention is to overcome the
noted disadvantages of the conventional
energy saving lighting control systems.
According to one aspect of the invention, a
logic and control unit is adapted to
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automatically switch from the normal
operating mode to the off-normal mode in
response to movement of the movable
member. In addition, Thais research
included,"Lighting Controls". In this
article it states that there are several ways
that we can save energy in lighting. For
example we could have the campus start
using "Occupany Sensor Controls".
Occupancy sensors detect indoor activity
within a certain area. They provide
convenience by turning lights on
automatically when someone enters a
room, and save energy by turning lights
off soon after the last occupant has left the
room. Furthermore, Michaels research
was about Brighthouse networks, which
offers an application which works in
conjunction with their company enabling
the user to control lighting, temperature, as
well as other household appliances. This
would be a great addition to the USFSP
library/computer lab, which is full of
computers, printers, and scanners, as well
as the University
Student Center (USC)
Real World
Applications
Electric transportation can help
consumers save money on fuel and
maintenance costs, and reduce their
environmental influence. As a domestic
source of energy, electric transportation
can supply toward our nation's energy
independence. On March 28th, 2012, our
own campus decided to do the unthinkable
and become eco-friendly. Electric
charging stations were installed at the
University of South Florida - St.
Petersburg campus. Across from the
Albert Witted Airport, on the eastern side
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of the campus, in Parking Lot 2 you will
find these electric charging station which
are free of cost to the public. One of the
students decided to test it out back when it
first opened up, David Hakki an
information technology major with a
Chevrolet Volt said, Ive always had a
passion for new technology, I see it as an
investment in the future.
To the left is a graph with results of how
much money one would save if they drove
about 15.5 miles to USFSP 3 days a week
(a total of 31 mile round trip). Data enter
assume charging stations on campus are
still free, and use 240 volt chargers, for
approximately 6 hours for each three days
on campus. The results show the annual
amount of vehicle energy cost one would
be paying with the option of four different
cars; that is is you are looking into buying
an electric car. The amount of gas in
Florida is located at the bottom to show
how much you would be saving by using
electric car s and electric charging stations.
The Regional Vic Chancellor for
Administrative Financial Services said,
We are very pleased to add another
sustainable energy opportunity for our
students, faculty and staff. USFSP is
dedicated to minimizing our physical
imprint on the planet while fostering
stewardship of the environment.
Sources:
Free electric charging stations installed on
campus
http://gis.its.ucdavis.edu/evexplorer/
This week we decided to figure just how
much money one would be saving by
turning off the lights. Many people do not
believe that a single bulb can cost much
and they are not wrong, it does not really
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cost that much. "A single 100-watt bub left
on continuously will run you 12$ a
month." Consider a normal household.
There is more than twenty bulbs and with
12$ a month per bulb this could stack up
into astronomical figures when it comes
time for the electric bill to come by.
According to the chart on ti website:
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/
lighting.html. A single incandescent bulb
that has run over 25,000 hours will cost
you about 317 dollars. Multiply that by 20
and you can see how leaving the lights on
will really put a whole in your bank
account. Multiply that by a thousand to
account for the thousands of light bulbs
used at the USF campus and you now see
a good reason why having lights that turn
off automatically is not only good for the
environment but also good for the budget.
To help prepare our University of South
Florida campus to maintain green friendly,
there is an alternative of featuring
geothermal heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning. You will be surprised to
learn that this is one of the most promising
solutions to high energy costs. Geothermal
heat pumps provide clean, quiet heating
and cooling while making it cost effective.
Also, cutting the utility bill up by 70%.
How it works is, it has the water go
through the pipes underground, where it is
naturally heated and cooled by the earth
and it transfers that heat from below to
above using fluid circulated through long
loops of pipes. It takes only one kilowatt-
hour of electricity for a geothermal heat
pump to produce nearly 12,000 Btu of
cooling or heating. (To produce the same
number of Btus, a standard heat pump on a
95-degree day consumes 2.2 kilowatt-
hours.) Geothermal systems are twice as
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efficient as the top-rated air conditioners
and almost 50 percent more efficient than
the best gas furnaces, all year round.
Going green is not an easy task; taking a
large amount of energy converting from
older energy-centered Methods to
something more environmentally friendly.
Below are some of the many benefits
when/if USFSP will begin to see more and
more of when converting to " going
green". It's obvious the countless methods
to become environmentally friendly will
bring forth savings; saving energy being
number one on the list. Producing energy
is expensive, and it creates pollution. So
saving energy is smart for people and the
planet. Who doesn't move saving money?
Switching to more efficient light bulbs,
making sure TVs and computers are
switched off when not in use, and
installing water-efficient fixtures in our
homes can also help families save money.
Inviting the "green" into our life and
campus will strengthen not only us, but the
planet as-well. Going green means using
less fossil fuel, creating less waste, and
consuming fewer toxic substances. By
using energy more efficiently we can also
reduce mining, deforestation, and
pollution. These things are harmful to our
planet, and unhealthy for us.
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The Science Behind the
Word
Summary of data produced from a
research study performed on a single floor
of a fourteen story building in San
Francisco. The information was gathered
over a year-long period focusing on the
energy savings from installing new
devices to better gauge and automatically
manage energy usage for lighting systems
on the floor. Data was gathered before and
after the installations. The device
installations included: new, more efficient
ballasts to consolidate and regulate energy
usage for fluorescent lights and automatic
rotary controls paired with photocell
technology, which also turned lighting
units dimmer or inactive when left unused.
The ballasts effectively reduced energy
usage by about 20% than the prior setup.
The photocell technology in combination
with the rotary controls reduced energy
usage by approximately 43-61% per day.
Overall, based on the authors findings, the
energy usage for the floor was determined
to be more efficient by a factor of two than
the prior setup, giving rise to the motion
that more facilities should follow suit with
upgrading to energy efficient
technologies.
To help prepare our University of South
Florida campus to maintain green friendly,
there is an alternative of featuring
geothermal heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning. You will be surprised to
learn that this is one of the most promising
solutions to high energy costs. Geothermal
heat pumps provide clean, quiet heating
and cooling while making it cost effective.
The indoor heat pump uses basic
refrigeration cycle such as, evaporation,
compression, expansion, and
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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condensation. Which then captures and
disperses the heat from and to the ground
to warm then school in the winter and cool
it in the summer. Unlike ordinary heating
and cooling systems, geothermal systems
do not burn fossil fuel to generate heat;
they simply transfer heat to and from the
earth. How it works is, it has the water go
through the pipes underground, where it is
naturally heated and cooled by the earth
and it transfers that heat from below to
above using fluid circulated through long
loops of pipes. It takes only one kilowatt-
hour of electricity for a geothermal heat
pump to produce nearly 12,000 Btu of
cooling or heating. (To produce the same
number of Btus, a standard heat pump on a
95-degree day consumes 2.2 kilowatt-
hours.) Geothermal systems are twice as
efficient as the top-rated air conditioners
and almost 50 percent more efficient than
the best gas furnaces, all year round.
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by the
equivalent of planting 750 trees or taking
two cars off the road. Also, cutting the
utility bill up by 70%. Geothermal systems
are so energy preserving that the payback
period is exceptionally brief. It was
calculated that it only takes about seven to
eight years to recoup costs, and it all really
comes down to local utility rates, drilling
costs, the model you choose, how well
your house is insulated and what
incentives your state provide. The cost for
this system is 15,000-20,000 which
includes the ground loops heat pump, and
controls. Geothermal systems require little
maintenance. When installed properly,
which is vey crucial, the buried loop can
last for generations. The units fan,
compressor, and pump are housed indoors,
protected from the harsh weather
conditions, so they tend to last for many
years, often decades. Usually, periodic
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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checks and filter changes and annual coil
cleaning are the only required
maintenance. Geothermal heating is such a
good investment because the plastic loops
should last 50 years or more, the outcome
for homeowners, and for the environment,
can last for generations.
Conclusion
So in conclusion we have stated the issues
that this campus is currently is faced with
and presented a logical solution to said
problem; lights at USF St. Pete uses an
abundant amount of energy and by
installing lights that turn off automatically
we will not only save money but cut
energy use by in half. This solution makes
the most sense because it is not likely that
we replace every socket at the campus to
turn off automatically so it will instead
only be applied to lights since it is the
most used electronic at any campus around
the world. In the end, it does not matter
how many hours of extensive research is
conducted and how well put together a
report is nothing is going to change unless
we take a first step. This report is not
intended to introduce a groundbreaking
tactic to make the entire world save energy
and go green. This report is intended to
convince us to take the first step into
becoming a better college, not only will
we save money but we will be using less
energy and make our campus nice and
healthy. By installing lights that turn off
automatically we can cut the campus
energy in more than a half and save
hundreds and hundreds of dollars. This
initiative will convince other colleges
around the state to do the same and this
will convince other colleges around the
world to do the same and eventually every
household will see the benefit of using
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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these lights all because of this first step.
Like a light bulb that was insignificant the
USF St. Pete campus will light hundred of
other bulbs around the world and truly
make a difference. One might ask, 'why
must we go green?' Or 'how does one go
green?' There are countless reasons driving
the global epidemic of going green;
reasons said to be as '...complex as the
environmental problems the world
population faces.' says Sally Painter. This
process of becoming better integrated in
renewable, Eco-friendly, and sustainable
practices can/will shower its participants
with many different forms of savings. Not
only will the ones taking place in this type
of change reek the benefits, but it is much
more than that. By doing so, our future
generations will be in a world already
focusing on handling this problem and
further proceed with becoming a Greener
and healthier Planet. It is up to us to set the
pattern of greener habits whatever that
may be. Without the proper 'stepping
stones' dealing with this massive crisis, we
are leaving our future generation with a
greater problem without proper action
currently taking place.
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Glossary of Terms
BTUs: British Thermal Units
K-watt: kilowatts
LED: Light Emitting Diodes
USC: University Student Center
USFSP: University of South Florida St. Petersburg
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Works Cited
Classroom Energy Efficiency. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from https://www.energia.ie/
Business/Energy-Efficiency/Classroom-Energy-Efficiency
"Climate Change This Week: Warming Accelerating, US Utilities Going Green, and More"
Huffington Post. Mary Ellen Hartly. . Wed March 23, 2015. Wed March 23, 2015.
Internet. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-ellen-harte/climate-change-this-
week_b_6927028.html
Free Electric Charging Stations Installed On Campus. (2012, March 28). Retrieved March 19,
2015, from http://www.usfsp.edu/blog/2012/03/28/free-electric-charging-stations-
installed-on-campus/
"Lighting Controls." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, 29 July 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Luchaco, David, and James Yorgey. "Lighting Control System with Priority
Override." (1994). Print.
Loux, Renee. Easy Green Living. Rodale, 2008. Print
Rubinstein, Francis, Michael Siminovich, and Rudolph Verderber. "Fifty Percent Energy
Savings with Automatic Light Controls." IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
4th ed. Vol. 29. 1993. 768-773. Print.
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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"Saving Electricity." Saving Energy on Lighting. Michael Bluejay, Inc., July 2013. Web. 25
Mar. 2015.
"Smart Streetlights do a lot more than just save electricity" Lloyd Alter. Mother Nature
Network. Wed. March 04, 2015. Wed March 23, 2015. Internet. http://www.mnn.com/
green-tech/ research-innovations/stories/smart-streetlights-do-a- lot- more-than-just-save-
electricity
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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Annotated Bibliography
Classroom Energy Efficiency. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from https://www.energia.ie/
Business/Energy-Efficiency/Classroom-Energy-Efficiency
This source was used in order to see how much money and energy a school might save
when switching to LED lights. The example they used on the website was all the way across
the globe in at a school in Ireland. By changing normal lights to LED lights, the school
would endure up to 60% of energy savings and about 1,000 over the years.
"Climate Change This Week: Warming Accelerating, US Utilities Going Green, and More"
Huffington Post. Mary Ellen Hartly. . Wed March 23, 2015. Wed March 23, 2015.
Internet. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-ellen-harte/climate-change-this-
week_b_6927028.html
What would make you want to make a change In the energy footprint of USF other than
evidence of the world climate heating up rapidly. The US has found that recent trends in
the global climate implement our need to "go green" and act with power/energy saving
alternatives.
Free Electric Charging Stations Installed On Campus. (2012, March 28). Retrieved March 19,
2015, from http://www.usfsp.edu/blog/2012/03/28/free-electric-charging-stations-
installed-on-campus/
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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This source, although very popular, since it deals with our home school (USFSP) is a great
reference for costing. This article explains USFSP taking the Green Initiative by
installing free electric charging stations throughout the parking lot for energy efficient
vehicles. The source states during the first year, the University is keeping an eye on the
financial side of these charging stations to see how well they are doing, and how much
money and energy they are saving.
"Lighting Controls." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, 29 July 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Luchaco, David, and James Yorgey. "Lighting Control System with Priority
Override." (1994). Print.
This article explains all the different kinds of ways that lights can be turned off
automatically. I used this article to back up the fact that this technology does indeed exist
and that we can indeed use these lights to save energy.
Loux, Renee. Easy Green Living. Rodale, 2008. Print
This book is a great source. I found the entire book on GoogleBooks, it is easy to read and
full of tips to help one live green. The tips are for the home but are completely relatable for
schools and other large corporations. The tips are very helpful, for a project like the White
Paper due to the Going Green theme we must uphold throughout the project. I was able
Green Tricity White Paper Project 2015
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to find great tips and great explanations for different lights, powerstrips, and automatic
items to help idle objects.
Rubinstein, Francis, Michael Siminovich, and Rudolph Verderber. "Fifty Percent Energy
Savings with Automatic Light Controls." IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
4th ed. Vol. 29. 1993. 768-773. Print.
"Saving Electricity." Saving Energy on Lighting. Michael Bluejay, Inc., July 2013. Web. 25
Mar. 2015.
This source was used to show how much energy lights use up in a normal household.
"Smart Streetlights do a lot more than just save electricity" Lloyd Alter. Mother Nature
Network. Wed. March 04, 2015. Wed March 23, 2015. Internet. http://www.mnn.com/
green-tech/ research-innovations/stories/smart-streetlights-do-a- lot- more-than-just-save-
electricity
A town in North Carolina is becoming a more energy efferent with the help of Smart street
lights and more. This local company is offering service options which could potentially
lower the energy requirements of the average family; those being remote lighting and Air
conditioning and easy-to-access water/air/gas/electricity usage statistics for local residential
access. This offers ideas in which the USF campus could implicate to "go green", and move
to a more energy efficient campus.