Campus Energy Use & the Environment The link between energy use in dormitories and the environment On an annual basis, Oberlin College releases approximately 10 tons of greenhouse gasses per student into the atmosphere. The vast majority of these emissions are associated with energy use and 92% of emissions are directly attributable to activities that take place in Oberlin's buildings. These gasses are changing the climate in ways that will increasingly affect every aspect of human culture, our economy and the natural environment. Control panel for Oberlin College's 1940s-era central heating plant What kinds of energy are used to power Oberlin dormitories? Most dormitories on the Oberlin College campus receive energy from two main sources. Energy used to heat and deliver hot water to dormitories is generated in a central heating plant located behind Mudd Library. Electrical energy consumed in dorms is supplied to the college through "the grid" of power lines by a local consumer-owned utility, Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System. Electricity is used in dormitories to power mechanical systems, lighting, kitchen appliances and anything that is plugged into an outlet. What kind of energy is displayed on this web site? At the moment, only electrical energy consumption is monitored and displayed. We chose to display electricity because dormitory residents have substantial control over their personal and collective electricity use and have less control over heat consumption. Some day we do hope to monitor and display steam use. Some Oberlin dorms house large commercial kitchens (or co-op kitchens) and others do not. To allow for a fair comparison among dormitories the "per person" electricity use that is displayed excludes electricity used in kitchens. We display the amount of electricity used in kitchens separately. Where does the electricity consumed by Oberlin College come from? Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System (OMLPS) maintains a small power station just south of campus which burns diesel, but this equipment is only used during the summer months when power demand peaks. Instead, OMLPS purchases most of the electricity use by the college and other Oberlin residents through a consortium of utilities called "Amp Ohio." Amp Ohio owns some of its electrical generation facilities, has long term contracts with other facilities and also purchases power on spot market (i.e. from the least expensive source at any given moment). The graph below depicts the relative contribution of different energy resources used to generate electricity in different regions. An obvious point to notice in the graph above is that coal fired power plants generate most of the electricity used in the U.S. (about 60%), and even more in "coal country" states like Ohio. A second point to notice is that, through a unique agreement with OMLPS that benefits the college, the local community and the environment, approximately 50% of Oberlin College 's electricity comes from green sources. This green power is a combination of recovered landfill gas and environmentally sensitive hydroelectric power. If you want to learn more about Oberlin's agreement and about how other colleges are purchasing green energy, you can click on the link to the paper below (this paper also contains references to statistics cited on this web page). "Oberlin College: From Zero to 60 on Green Electricity" Download What are the environmental consequences of electricity consumption? The economic and environmental costs of consuming electricity vary by region depending on the technology and fuel source used to generate that electricity. The fact that Oberlin is located in "coal country" means that electricity is inexpensive to purchase, but environmentally costly to produce. Coal is used to generate about 60% of the electricity in the U.S. as a whole, but over 80% of the electricity in Ohio. Coal is the most damaging fossil fuel in terms of both health and environmental effects. Coal releases more climate changing CO2 and acid rain and smog forming NOx and SO2 per unit of electricity produced than any other fuel source. Coal combustion also releases substantial quantities of mercury and radio nucleotides into the environment. Particulates associated with coal power have been estimated to result in 30,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year. For the citizens of Oberlin, Ohio, using 1,000 Watts of electricity for one hour (i.e. using 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity) costs only $0.07 but is responsible for the release of 2.2 lbs of CO2, 0.02 lbs of SO2 and 0.01 lbs of NOx. Beallsville Hydro plant that provides green power to Oberlin The inexpensive costs of electricity in the U.S. reflect the fact that economic costs of the environmental and health damage resulting from using electricity are not currently included in utility bills. Because Oberlin College committed to purchasing approximately 60% of its electricity from green energy sources (environmentally sensitive hydroelectric and landfill gas), the actual emissions are lower than indicated on these graphs. However, because Oberlin's contract is for a fixed amount of green power, reductions in electricity use do, in fact, result in decreases in pollution emissions by an amount equivalent to the constants indicated above for CO2, SO2 and NOx. Landfill gas facility that provides green electricity to Oberlin Electricity generated from wind may some day power NE Ohio. For the moment, however, the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to reduce the negative environmental impacts of electricity use is to reduce consumption. Electrical consumption in dormitories can be reduced by increasing the efficiency of buildings, building technologies and appliances (i.e. by doing the same thing with less electricity) and by changing behavior. The Campus Resource Monitoring System is designed to help people change their attitudes and behaviors in ways that conserve electricity. How does the college produce heat for the dormitories? Oberlin College's central heating plant burns coal, and to a lesser extent natural gas and fuel oil, to generate heat. Heat from furnaces is used to turn water into steam, which is then delivered to campus buildings through a maze of underground steam lines. The heating plant is a "cogeneration" facility which means that, in addition to delivering heat (the primary function of the plant), steam is also used to generate electricity; the plant generates 5-10% of campus needs on an annual basis. The heating plant is responsible for about 30% of Oberlin College 's total greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, dormitory residents currently have little direct control over heat energy consumption; thermostats are not accessible and the antiquated heat delivery systems tend to distribute heat unevenly. Students who suffer from heating problems should describe problems to Residential Life or Campus Facilities. Opening windows to cool an overheated space increases fossil fuel consumption at the central heating plant.