This post has been archived. Information below may be out of date and/or relate to a past event.
Allegheny’s annual Load Drop Test, a component of our demand response program participation, is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, July 18, from 3 to 4 p.m. It is essential that all faculty, staff and students on campus help us reduce our electricity consumption during this hour. Starting at 2:30 p.m., please shut down as many electrical devices as possible and leave them off until after 4 p.m. You should power down excess lighting, computers, printers, copiers, fans, air conditioners, etc. Consider getting out of your office, taking a walk, or tackling that nagging reading or filing you’ve been avoiding. Your participation helps us demonstrate our readiness during an actual emergency event (brownout/blackout) and helps us earn significant financial incentives – over $32,000 last year. For an explanation of demand response programs and their benefits as well as details of how you can help, see the Demand Response Guidelines here.
ELECTRICAL LOAD REDUCTION PROCEDURES
SUMMER 2018
GENERAL: Allegheny College is participating in an electrical load reduction program during summer 2018. Participation by our entire community is crucial to the program’s success and earned us over $32,000 through our participation last year. The initial event is a voluntary, planned load test reduction that is scheduled for Wednesday, July 18, from 3 to 4 p.m. We will be turning off all non-critical systems throughout the Campus. In addition, we are requesting everyone to turn off computers, lights and any other non-essential equipment. Through our Building Automation System (BAS) Physical Plant controls major HVAC systems Campus-wide such as chillers (building-wide air conditioning), air handlers and related component equipment. It is this equipment that we shut down. When possible we will over-cool before the event to minimize the impact from systems being turned off. We rely on building occupants to shutdown all locally controlled electronics such as computers, lights, individual air-conditioners, fans, coffee pots, microwaves, etc. Fume hoods are also controlled locally; we request you turn off/close any fume hood that is not required to support on-going research and/or consolidate work in fewer fume hoods if possible. In order to maximize the benefit from our participation, we request that you turn off any electrical equipment that is not mission essential and does not impact program or safety.
Our region, the PJM (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland) grid, has not called a mandatory event other than the scheduled test in several years nor do we anticipate an event this summer. However, if high temperatures or other factors stress the grid, electrical consumption reduction is required to prevent blackouts and brownouts. Should a mandatory event be called, we will shut down all equipment within our control except science department cold rooms, equipment supporting active experiments and dining service operational equipment in use. Please be aware that our active load reduction management can prevent a blackout/brownout and is therefore preferable to a complete shutdown of electricity by the utility without notice.
Participation by our entire community is crucial to maximize this program’s success!
Please contact the Physical Plant (Ext. 5378) if you have any questions.