TO: Campus Community
FR: J.Dana Twedell, Associate Vice President Facilities Management
Sonoma State University will be participating in a state sponsored demand response program called Demand Side Grid Support. This program encourages large utility users, like Sonoma State, to reduce overall energy consumption when there is a flex alert and/or large heat waves across the state.
By achieving our goal of a 10% decrease in energy consumption on these days, the university will help support the region by reducing demand on the power grid, while also helping the campus meet our sustainability goals and preventing rolling blackouts. Requests for us to reduce our energy consumption will typically be given to the university 12 to 24 hours in advance and will last for two to six hours.
How can you help? Upon receiving an email notification about a demand response event, you can support it by adopting these energy-conserving habits during the specified hours:
- Turn off and unplug non-essential electrical items like: printers, copiers, desk/floor lamps, radios, and small appliances.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lighting.
- Avoid charging any electronic devices, such as: phones, iPads, laptops, radios, etc.
We anticipate up to a dozen of these events by the end of this calendar year. Our success in the program will only be achievable with your participation. (Enacting similar efforts in your home during these hours will also help to avoid rolling blackouts across the state.)
For more tips about conserving energy at home, see TID's Energy Saving Tips, PG&E's Heat Safety Information, and Demand Side Grid Support.