Officials discount hazard concerns

With every advance in the world of technology, officials say, UNC students are plugging more high-powered equipment into their residence hall rooms.

And the increase in energy consumption is forcing officials to look at safe ways to keep up with students’ demands.

“We now have more and more demand for the use of electricity in our residence halls,” said Larry Hicks, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education.

“This definitely adds to the power needs of a building.”

In today’s residence halls, high-tech television sets, laptops and iPods often share the same outlets as microwaves, refrigerators and desk lamps.

That’s raised concerns that rooms will be more susceptible to fires and other safety hazards. But officials said such fears are unwarranted.

Whenever workers renovate a residence hall, they also upgrade the hall’s electrical systems, Hicks said.

Officials also are encouraging students to purchase energy-efficient appliances, marked by the Energy Star logo, to use in their rooms.

That encouragement could help students approach their energy consumption with a more critical eye.

“We want to encourage the use of good judgment when using energy,” Hicks said.

A police report indicated that a faulty surge protector caused the fire that decimated a room in Ehringhaus Residence Hall, but the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Another viable option for conserving and sustaining the University’s resources is green energy, officials said. Evidence of such initiatives can be seen throughout campus.

“The University, as well as other national organizations, need to start looking at ways to reduce energy consumption and ways to generate electricity that do not depend on fossil fuels,” said Cindy Shea, UNC’s sustainability coordinator.

As part of Morrison Residence Hall’s renovation, a solar-paneled roof system is being installed that will give residents access to solar-heated water.

Other renovation projects across campus also seek to conserve energy.

“The baseline of any renovation project includes installing thermal windows, replacing lights with fluorescent lighting and using more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning units,” Hicks said.

But the costs of implementing such projects sometimes serve as barriers to change.

“Part of the challenge of being on the leading edge of technology is that it is expensive,” Hicks said.

“There are a lot of upfront costs, so there is a tendency not to pursue it to any degree.”

Still, students have expressed their commitment to UNC's green outlook by voting to increase student fees to aid the University’s conservation efforts.

Additional grants given to the University by the state energy office also provide assistance.

Ralph Taylor, energy manager of the Facilities Services Division, said he would like to see an increase in the use of green energy throughout the nation.

“There is a lot of opportunity to use green energy,” he said.

“But I think North Carolina is just starting to really embrace some of that opportunity.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.