I have heard other schools are going to 4-day weeks (Monday-Thursday) this summer to save money on energy (air conditioning). Has Clemson considered that?
Clemson has an Energy Conservation Team that is actively exploring a number of ideas, including the possibility of more aggressive scheduling of classroom buildings on days when no summer classes or other activities are planned. In buildings that have automated HVAC control systems and are not in use 24/7, Facilities already routinely shuts down systems at night and over holiday breaks and restarts them to save energy. Some buildings have computer labs, special research facilities, book collections or other temperature-sensitive functions which make shutdown impossible. And, obviously, not all functions can be shifted to a four-day schedule. However, in a typical 60,000 square-foot campus building, Facilities has estimated that shutting down 12 extra Fridays during the summer could save $3,360 in energy costs for that facility.
