If you complain about your electric bill, feel fortunate you do not have to foot the University’s energy bill.

The University spends approximately $30 million annually on energy, said Ken Crowe, director of energy services.

Responding to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s challenge that state agencies become more energy conscious, University President Michael Adams appointed an Energy Conservation Executive Committee to assess and oversee conservation efforts on campus in 2006.

The committee includes students, staff and faculty.

“We have been seeking to involve the greater campus community in the effort to conserve energy,” said Tom Adams, the committee’s chairman.

Crowe is in charge of managing the University’s non-vehicle energy use. He is also a member of the Energy Conservation Executive Committee.

“Our department is sort of like the hub of a wheel when it comes to taking action to reduce energy use,” he said.

Crowe said they use outside contractors to identify and implement energy-saving activities.

Crowe said efforts include, “replacing older lighting with more energy efficient lights,, operating our chilled water system (air conditioning) in a looped scenario to reduce the number of machines running, installing lower flow faucets and toilets, upgrading roofing systems to reduce heat through the roof and installing variable speed drives for fans and pumps which let them run at slower speeds.

“We currently do not have a metering system that can identify total energy use by building, but that is our main objective over the next few years,” Crowe said.

Reducing our energy use will depend on more than simply implementing new technologies, Adams said.

A large part of successfully conserving energy depends on educating others to do their part, he said.

Another member of the Energy Conservation Executive Committee, public relations professor Lynne Sallot, made educating students the goal of her PR campaigns class.

Last fall, her class responded by creating UGA Unplugged, a student-led campaign to encourage energy conservation and recycling.

Throughout the last two semesters, UGA Unplugged hosted events promoting conservation.

For example, the students surveyed dorm residents before and after an energy competition between Mell and Lipscomb dorms.

Mell won the contest by using the least energy during March.

UGA Unplugged promoted several light bulb exchanges throughout the semester, where students could trade their old bulbs for energy-efficient ones at no cost.

After surveying several of the dorms before and after their campaigns, the biggest surprise came out of Soule Hall, a dorm they didn’t even target, Sallot said.

Teara Collins, a senior UGA Unplugged member from Duluth, said, “We see this as yet another example that one person can make a difference on our campus.”

G.P. Ooi, a senior from Malaysia, said many students assume University authorities do not care about energy.

“There is a lack of communication between the two parties, hence, organizations like UGA Unplugged are here to serve the medium,” she said.

On the technical side, Crowe agrees that student participation is essential in conserving energy.

“If everyone takes care of their little corner of the University, we will see great savings,” he said.