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Energy FAQ

  1. Where does the electricity (power) at Wake Forest University come from?
    All of the power is purchased from Duke Energy.
     
  2. What is the energy resource mix used to generate Wake Forest University’s electricity?
    Duke Energy generates electricity with a mix of Coal fired plants, Nuclear power plants, Natural Gas fired plants, Hydro-electric plants and Renewable Energy (e.g., Solar & Wind) plants.
  3. What does WFU pay for electricity?
    September 2011 electrical cost is about $0.064/kWh. It varies seasonally. Average electrical cost based on the sum of three year period 2008-2010 ($6,812,356/129,932,244kWh) cost divided by consumption is $0.052/kWh. 
     
  4. What are the factors affecting electricity prices?
    Learn more about the factors that affect electrical prices.
     
  5. How much electricity does Wake Forest University use?
    In the last three years Wake Forest University has purchased the following:
    - FY2008-09: 43,618,568 kWh
    - FY2009-10: 42,975,952 kWh
    - FY2010-11: 43,337,724 kWh
     
  6. How is the campus heated and cooled?
    The Central Heating Plant (CHP) houses two natural gas fired steam boilers (60,000 lbs/hr each) that supply steam to most of the buildings on campus. Steam is used to heat the buildings and generate domestic hot water. Most of the campus is cooled by chilled water that is generated by four electric chiller plants which are connected by an underground piping loop. The buildings have convectors and various kinds of Air Handling Units (AHUs) and Fan Coil Units (FCUs) that supply conditioned air to the occupied spaces.
     
  7. How much natural gas does the Heating Plant use and where does it come from?
    - FY2008-09: 184,286 Dth (Decatherm or 10 therms or 1,000,000 btu)
    - FY2009-10: 188,466 Dth
    - FY2010-11: 189,816 Dth

    Wake Forest University purchases a part of Natural gas volume in advance from Wellhead sources (e.g., brokers for New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), which is regulated by Commodity Future Trading Commission, an independent agency of the United States government) and the balance from Piedmont Natural Gas which also delivers all of natural gas to the campus.
     

  8. Why does Wake Forest University not use coal for heating?
    Natural gas fired boilers produce substantially less, about half, the carbon dioxide that is produced by a coal fired boiler of the same capacity. The current boilers in the CHP were installed in 1953 and originally used coal as a fuel. These boilers were converted to use natural gas or #2 as a fuel sources. #2 fuel is used only as an emergency backup for periods when natural gas service is lost.
     
  9. How is the temperature in campus buildings controlled?
    Most of the academic and office buildings are controlled by an energy management and control system utilizing Direct Digital Controls (DDC). There are manual thermostats in several residence halls and independent residences. The manual controls are replaced with digital as the systems are upgraded.

    The temperature of each occupied space in the buildings with DDC controls is set based on a balance between occupant comfort level and energy efficiency. The unoccupied spaces are maintained at setback/setup temperature and to maintain humidity control. For most buildings, occupants control temperature within a range of 68-74 degrees. 

  10. Which renewable energy systems are being considered for the campus?
    The Barn has a 3,700 watt solar array that generates electricity for offsetting purchased electricity from the utility company. Since the utility company’s electrical power rates are reasonably low, large solar power projects do not have a good payback (ROI). As cost of solar power generation becomes more competitive, Wake Forest University will consider adding more solar power generating projects. Winston Salem is not a good location to install wind powered electricity generators (wind turbines) due to lack of sustained winds.
  11. Is Wake Forest University engaged in any ongoing energy projects? 
    WFU is always engaged in several energy projects. A few of the recently installed and ongoing projects are given ahead: 

    - Sub-metering utilities at the building level. Electrical & water is mostly complete, chilled water, steam will be installed in the next phases.

    - Retro-commissioning of old buildings is undertaken in form of studies and re-commissioning of systems to bring them up to the most energy efficient level.

    - Fluorescent lighting upgrades have been largely completed; LED and lighting controls projects are ongoing in a few buildings.

    - Mechanical and control systems upgrades are performed on the older inefficient systems as funds become available.

    - Energy awareness is big challenge on a campus; we are working with the Sustainability office to make the occupants more aware of energy conservation.

    - Winter setback program has been ongoing for a few years where all the unoccupied buildings are set around 63 degrees during the winter break to save heating and electrical energy. 

  12. How can I save energy in my dorm, office, or home?
    The simplest way to save energy is energy avoidance, e.g., using natural lighting in the room instead of artificial lighting, shutting off lighting when you leave the room. Use LED or CFL compact fluorescent type light bulbs instead of incandescent. Set your thermostat a few degree lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer. Turn off computer monitors when you are not going to be there for more than 20 minutes. Enable sleep mode on computers if you away for more than 20 minutes. Unplug all accessories including printers, speakers, and scanners when not in use. And if you don’t need any extra light while you’re working on a computer, switch off desk lamps and overhead lights. Consider plugging appliances into a power strip that can be easily switched off when you’re leaving the office or dorm. Some power strips can detect when appliances are not in use and switch off automatically. Wash only full loads of clothes and air dry your clothes after washing them. Many electrical dryers use more energy during their 45 minute cycle than your room uses in a day.