New bulbs save energy, cut costs

Stephen Cheng Guest Writer

Since the beginning of the semester, the College Committee of Sustainability and Buildings and Grounds Services have been collaborating on the Vassar Bulb Swap, an energy conservation project aimed at replacing all incandescent light bulbs on campus with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

So far, the Town Houses (THs) have been fitted with 950 of the compact fluorescent bulbs, and the Terrace Apartments and South Commons have received 100 new lights. One student volunteer single-handedly replaced most of the bulbs in the Jetson Lounge in Noyes House, and 80 new bulbs have reportedly been switched in other dormitories. On Sunday, Oct. 8, volunteers made considerable progress when they finished replacing bulbs in 43 of the 50 THs.

The Bulb Swap initiative is also supported by the Vassar Greens, who have been accepting incandescent bulbs in exchange for their fluorescent counterparts while stationed at a table in the College Center every Tuesday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Residential Operations Center in Josselyn House has been providing the same service.

The program is being orchestrated largely by Ross Patrick Keogh ’07, a purchasing intern at the College Committee of Sustainability. Over the summer, Buildings and Grounds agreed to sponsor the program with the purchase of 1,500 compact fluorescent bulbs.

It has since been the task of the Sustainability Committee to ensure that the bulbs are put to use. They have publicized the program by word of mouth, flyers and a press release. The Committee has also recruited 20 volunteers to go door-to-door asking residents if they are willing to switch.

“I can’t express how important volunteers are to this program. They are the program,” Keogh said, and added that because of the volunteers’ sustained enthusiasm, it has not yet been necessary to hire help to install the new bulbs.

Compact fluorescent lights have been on the market for at least seven years. According to Director of Facilities Operations of Buildings and Grounds Kiki Williams, “Compact fluorescent lamps utilize less energy and last longer than incandescent lamps.”

In addition to being eco-friendly, the swap is practical from a financial standpoint. “Increased utility costs played a significant part of exploring all avenues for energy conservation,” said Williams. “In addition, the longer-lasting bulbs decrease labor hours required to change burned-out bulbs.” The new lighting will save the College as much as $75 per bulb.

Those involved with the project have also concerned themselves with recycling the used light bulbs that have accumulated since the project’s kick-off. In order to safely dispose of the incandescent bulbs, recyclers need to be contracted to extract the aluminum and lead components from the light bulbs for reuse. Because of the mercury levels in fluorescent bulbs, they are considered universal waste and must be collected and recycled intact.

Keogh expressed the hope that the program will maintain its momentum until all of the lighting on campus has become more energy-efficient, adding, however, that “the program doesn’t have a timeline, mostly because it depends on volunteer help.”

Should the volunteerism wane, Buildings and Grounds will contribute manpower to the project. “I would like the swap to continue until all the incandescent bulbs have been replaced in all campus buildings,” said Williams. “Buildings and Grounds will shortly be implementing a plan to swap out all incandescent bulbs a building at a time.”