Years ago, lamp manufacturers strongly advised against switching fluorescent lights on and off because you could reduce lamp life by as much as 20 percent. Since that time, the manufacturers have modified and improved these lamps to provide 20,000 hours of operation compared to 10-12,000 hours for the older style lamps. The newer lamps are far less prone to failure due to switching and it is unlikely that frequent switching will affect lamp life more than 5 percent. Regarding the issue of energy consumption associated with starting a lamp, the same philosophy applies - the newer rapid-start lamps combined with electronic ballasts do not use a significant amount of extra energy when turned on as compared to when they are operating in a steady state mode.

A good rule of thumb is that if you are going to be out of the room for more than 15 minutes, you'll save money by turning out the lights. If you will only be gone for 5 minutes - leave the lights on.

Q: I use an electric strip heater in my office, should I feel guilty about it?

The typical electric strip heater uses 1.5 kW of energy. This is enough energy to power two typical Santa Barbara homes. The cost of running an electric strip heater is between $600 to $1000 per year. Electric strip heaters can overload electric circuits, and are a fire risk. These heaters also cause building air conditioning systems to work harder by adding heat to your office, and can interfere with climate control systems. Please, do not use electric strip heaters! If you have a problem with temperature control of your office, please call Physical Facilities at x2661.

Q: Isn't the California energy crisis over? Why do we still need to conserve?

Due to the slowdown of the economy and other factors, California's power supply has been adequate to meet demand. However, UCSB's cost of electricity will nearly double this year. This cost increase, coupled with our high cost of natural gas, represents extra energy costs of several million dollars per year for our campus. Now, more than ever, everyone on campus needs to conserve power wherever we can. This is the only way to mitigate this energy cost increase that will be with us for the unforeseeable future.

Q: Why are the boilers turned off during the summer in my building?

Some buildings on campus have sufficient internal heat load to provide a comfortable environment during the summer months, without having to provide additional heating. Turning off the boilers for the summer has been a long-standing policy at UCSB, and saves a considerable amount of natural gas. This program will not affect buildings that need to maintain a stable research environment.

Q: Where can I get more information on energy conservation?