"The new showerheads use less water than the old ones," Paul Ruskin, OPP spokesman, said. "It actually aerates the water. It mixes water with air, and the spray is adjusted so it has the same effect, just uses less water."
Laura Miller, energy conservation engineer in charge of the Guaranteed Energy Savings Program, said the project is costly but will save money in the long run. "In West Halls we are going to save about $350,000 per year," she said. "Our annual mortgage is $302,000, so we are saving almost $60,000 per year. We hope to break even in about seven and a half years."
Ruskin said that 25 percent of room and board and 5 percent of tuition bills are related to energy, but the savings made through this campaign will help to maintain current rates. "The bottom line is, it doesn't mean our rates will go down," he said. "It means it can help us contain the growth of the rates and stop them from going up as they have in previous years."
He said Penn State's electricity bill is just more than $1 million per month -- a cost Ruskin hopes will be lowered by the small reminder signs by each light switch in West Halls.
Miller said the project will be implemented in Pollock Halls next summer.
"We did it first because West Halls is pretty old," Ruskin said. "It was built 50 years ago. A building is like a car -- every once in a while you need a tune-up."
Ruskin also said the university will be announcing new contracts in January to expand the amount of alternative energy that Penn State uses, a transition from the nuclear plants and coal that was used five years ago. "We will be purchasing more energy, and we are looking and hydro-energy," he said. "It is a little more expensive, but the market is growing, and prices are beginning to go down."
Meanwhile, Ruskin said one of the most important parts of the project is getting students to be more energy conscious. Miller's campaign has currently used $20,000 to purchase T-shirts, water bottles and other materials to warn students of the dangers of using too much energy.
Toothbrushes were given to each freshman in West Halls, warning them to turn off the water when they brush their teeth. Ruskin said since the project began, the amount of water used has been reduced from 2.9 to 2.5 gallons of water per day.
The campaign encourages the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs. "They are money-saving, they reduce pollution, and they are readily available at any retail outlet, Ruskin said."
Miller said the results of the pilot project will be released after the end of the fall semester.
