UAA to participate in municipal energy-conservation exercise

In late September, Mayor Sullivan announced an "Energy Watch" campaign for Anchorage citizens to reduce their energy use during the winter if and when natural gas delivery pressures drop low enough to warrant concern. A stoplight concept will be utilized to advise customers to reduce their energy consumption by varying degrees: energy condition green represents normal, everyday conservation measures; energy condition yellow represents turning down the thermostat and a reduction in some household activities; and energy condition red represents the same reductions but to a larger degree.

UAA gets its heat and electricity from the use of natural gas. A natural gas shortage or outage in Southcentral Alaska could be a sufficient disruption to UAA normal activities. Although we don't expect to encounter a situation that would cause Anchorage to have a gas outage, we need to be prepared should such an event occur. In order to adequately plan for a gas shortage, UAA is participating in an exercise to see what savings can be achieved with voluntary conservation. The Municipality of Anchorage expects to hold this exercise on Wed., Oct. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. This exercise will test a condition "Yellow" alert, which would cause us to adjust our utility usage at UAA.

UAA's participation in the Oct. 21 exercise includes the reduction of heating in six buildings at 6 p.m, instead of the normal time of 11 p.m. These buildings include University Lake Building, Diplomacy, Auto Diesel Technology, Wells Fargo Sports Complex, Student Union, and 707 A Street.