Conservation Efforts Bridge Technology and Campus Life

Facilities staff make conservation a key component of daily maintenance and preservation of MIT buildings and grounds. As older buildings need renewal and new projects are designed, conservation is built into each project. The department, in partnership with the Environment, Health and Safety Office, leads Institute efforts involving new technologies, such as installing more efficient equipment, and individual efforts, like turning off unneeded lights. Using revolving doors, for instance, would cut building heating costs in half.

New technologies include changes in energy-hungry fume hoods used in many labs. New variable air volume hoods installed in Building 18 will save enough energy annually to power a mid-size residential development. Providing Vending Misers, devices on cold beverage machines equipped with passive infrared sensors that signal the machine to power down when the nearby area is unoccupied, cuts the machine’s energy use by 46 percent.

Water & Steam

Equipment upgrades such as low-flow bathroom appliances for toilets and faucets in academic and residential buildings save nearly 30 million gallons of water per year. Equipment that reuses water and other lab and process improvements save another 40 million gallons a year.

Energy

MIT produces 80 percent of its own energy for 100 campus buildings through the William R. Dickson Cogeneration plant, which cut pollution emissions nearly in half and won an Energy Star Combined Heat and Power Award. Steam trap replacements save nearly 18 million pounds of steam each year.

Find out how to make conservation a part of daily life at MIT – including commuting options and daily practices in campus laboratories, offices, and residences.