What if there was a way for the university to save energy, money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions without making a major investment or drastic changes?

Michigan State University Physical Plant personnel have partnered with the Registrar’s Office, Academic Technology Services and Facilities Planning and Space Management on campus to develop a solution in the form of new classroom scheduling practices.

During the 2008-09 academic year, seven buildings – Baker Hall, Natural Resources, Old Horticulture, Giltner Hall, Urban Planning, Olds Hall, and Agriculture Hall – participated in a pilot program to schedule evening classes and sanctioned events more efficiently.

As a result of the classroom consolidation pilot, energy reductions in the seven buildings ranged from 2 percent to 20 percent. This percentage decrease represents savings of 211 megawatt hours, 137 tons of carbon dioxide, and $16,904.

As the majority of building energy is consumed in the heating, ventilation and cooling, or HVAC systems, the easiest way to reduce energy consumption is to reduce the amount of time the HVAC runs. In the past, many buildings have been kept open with the HVAC running during only one or two evening courses or events.

“We thought the smarter thing to do was to simply relocate the classes to higher-utilized buildings nearby,” said Lynda Boomer, energy and environmental engineer with the Physical Plant. “Then we could reduce the HVAC hours and close the building earlier.”

“The Registrar’s Office was particularly sensitive in making sure that faculty and students were not inconvenienced,” said Scott McMillan, acting university registrar.

Classes and sanctioned events were typically moved to a building next door or in the same geographic area, and all space and technology requirements were met, he said.

The university will expand this program to include more buildings in the upcoming academic year.

The classroom consolidation initiative was one of the 50 recommendations produced by the Environmental Stewardship Initiative, “Be Spartan Green.”

For more information, visit www.bespartangreen.msu.edu.