University Inks Energy-Savings Agreement With TID

California State University, Stanislaus will cut its electrical power usage during the state's critical power emergencies in exchange for an agreement with the Turlock Irrigation District that significantly reduces the threat of rolling blackouts on the Turlock campus.

The University and TID signed the agreement recently that calls on CSU Stanislaus to cut its power usage by 10 to 20 percent when the state experiences a Stage III power alert. As an incentive for one of its largest electrical customers, TID will skip the University when it is forced to conduct rotating blackouts as a result of generation reductions on the statewide network. The agreement extends through December 2002.

"We are pleased to have this agreement with TID as part of our continuing commitment to help conserve energy," said Mary Stephens, CSU Stanislaus Vice President for Business and Finance. "Considering the potential serious impact of power disruptions on our campus, the University felt it was necessary to take measures for added protection. This agreement enables us to greatly reduce that problem while realizing substantial power savings."

To reduce power usage during Stage III electrical emergencies as well as realize a savings on its power bill, the University plans to raise temperature levels in buildings by making adjustments on its centralized computer-controlled air conditioning systems. CSU Stanislaus employees will also be asked to shut off unnecessary lights, appliances, and computers.

The University has already taken a pro-active approach to trimming its power usage through August. In June, the University switched its office hours to 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Fridays to enable the campus to significantly cut back power usage during the high peak usage hours on Friday afternoons.

In addition, a number of conservation measures have been instituted over the past several years. Despite steady enrollment growth and the addition of new buildings over the past few years, CSU Stanislaus' electrical and natural gas consumption has remained fairly steady as the result of efficiency measures. These measures include modernized central boiler and chiller facilities, energy-efficient indoor lighting, a centralized energy management system, variable speed drives, and high efficiency motors. The University also entered into a long-term power contract with the Turlock Irrigation District in July 2000 that produced a 5% savings on electrical bills.

"The TID has always had a good working relationship with CSU Stanislaus and this program is no exception," said Chris Kiriakou, Assistant General Manager of Energy Resources. "Even though the TID has enough power supply for our customers, we are all working together to minimize the number of blackouts in our community and help the state with the ongoing energy crisis. We appreciate CSU Stanislaus' willingness to work with the TID in this time of crisis and readjusting their load to help out the state."

The new agreement with TID does not include blackouts during extreme statewide generation shortages or power outages caused by system failures.