Facilities Services

Water is something we need to conserve too. So what does that have to do with Energy Savings?

Have you ever thought about how your water comes out of the faucet when you turn the handle on?

One method is to fill a stand pipe or water tower, that usually has a name of a town, city or business on it, by pumping the water to the top of the tower allowing the water to fall back towards the earth with the assistance of gravity. As the water falls it builds pressure in the water lines or pipes going to your house, apartment or place of work. When you open the faucet the pressure pushes the water out of the pipe and into the container that you intend to fill.

Another method is to push the water with pumps, forgoing the stand pipe / water tower method. This is the method that is in use by the University and our network of hospital buildings. It simply pushes the water into the pipes, building pressure and pushing the water out of the faucet when it is opened.

The key word, in the energy context, throughout this presentation has been "pump". The water is pumped out of the ground. Then it is pumped through filters and pumps add treatment chemicals to clean out harmful bacteria, etc. Then the water is pumped through the water main lines to the destination. Once it reaches the destination it waits until it is needed, then it is pumped into University Hospital, CGC, Mott and other buildings.

All of these pumps are operated by electric motors. So if you see a faucet dripping or running, think that there is an electric motor running somewhere using energy that is being wasted. Losing a natural resource like water is bad enough without also wasting energy.

If you see a faucet, toilet, drinking fountain or other water dispensing device just running, call 6-5054 and request a work order to have the Maintenance Department resolve the problem. It will be a double savings: natural resource and energy.

For more information, questions or suggestions about energy conservation, call John Wolski at 734-936-6457 or use the hospital paging system with pager ID #7370.