By Kevin Lee
Daily Bruin Contributor
University of California and California State University
campuses are safe from rolling blackouts due to contracts with
non-deregulated utility companies, though energy conservation is
still a priority at UCLA.
Campuses in areas serviced by Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern
California Edison, or San Diego Gas and Electric have a long-term
contract with the Houston-based Enron Corporation, according to a
statement issued last week by the University of California Office
of the President.
UCLA, which is in an area serviced by the Los Angeles Department
of Water and Power, is not part of the contract. But UCLA still has
a stable power supply since DWP was exempt from deregulation.
Though the DWP commercial rate for UCLA may rise as much as 250
percent, DWP residential rates are fact frozen.
“All components of our electricity rates have been frozen
for a couple of years,” DWP spokesman Randy Hough
said. “Increased electricity usage usually can be
attributed to the season or the introduction of new
appliances.”
The DWP normally generates a surplus in energy each day which it
sells to energy-deprived areas in PG&E or SCE territory.
“We usually have an average of 435 megawatts left over,
and we sell this off at the government rates,” Hough said.
“It’s a win-win situation. We make a profit and those
in need get their energy.”
One megawatt is enough energy to power approximately 1,000
homes.
Westwood residents should still conserve energy so that DWP may
have a higher surplus to assist deregulated areas, according to
Vice Chancellor of Facilities Management Jack Powazek.
In an effort to protect itself from deregulation, the UC, along
with CSU signed a four-year contract with Enron in 1998, which
froze rate prices until March 31, 2002.
Consuming as much 332 megawatts per hour at peak usage, the UC
is one of the largest energy-users in the state.
More than 100 megawatts per hour are generated in U.C. power
plant located in UCLA, UC Davis, the UC Davis Medical Center, UC
San Francisco and UC Berkeley.
In response to California’s energy woes, UC President
Richard Atkinson proposed expanding the capacity of existing energy
plants in UC San Diego, UCLA, and UC San Francisco during the
summertime, as well as constructing new or additional plants in UC
Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus and
possibly UC Riverside.
UCLA is in the process of instituting programs to conserve
energy, including a campus-wide relamping program, renovating
heating and air conditioning systems and increasing the
power-storing capacity of the Energy Services Facility, according
to Powazek.
UCLA Housing has an energy-conservation program with goals of
ensuring maximum energy efficiency and suppressing as much as
possible future rate increases for student residents, Director of
UCLA Housing, Mike Foraker said.
Dorm residents received a letter Saturday from the Housing
Office specifying what is being done to conserve energy, which
includes implementing energy-efficient lighting fixtures,
installing light sensors in public areas, and adjusting thermostats
and cooling equipment.
For several days, UCLA housing has also shut off hallway lights
in some dorms as part of their energy-conservation effort.
But students were not too disturbed by the dark hallways.
“It was just plain dark, but that didn’t bother me
much,” a resident in Sproul Hall commented. Â “The
laundry room light was always on, which helped a lot.”
The Social Sciences Computing Lab turns off each lab machine at
the end of the day as well as any non-essential office equipment,
Director of Social Sciences Computing Lab Tom Phelan said.
Associate Dean of UCLA Extension David C. Menninger commented
that UCLA Extension reduced non-essential office lighting and
equipment use, resulting in one department opting to work by window
light and glow from computer monitors.
Elsewhere in the state, the Daily Californian reported that
although the majority of the UC Berkeley campus is under Enron
Corp., some of the dorms are still under PG&E and extra rate
hikes will be passed onto dorm residents.
Gasoline prices may also increase as a result of the energy
crisis as there is not enough power to operate the pumps that run
major pipelines and oil fields.
President-elect George W. Bush opposes state officials’
pleads for federal price caps on wholesale power, favoring a
relaxation of California environmental regulations so power plants
can run at full capacity, according to the L.A. Times. Â The
Clinton administration was also reluctant to restore price caps
Anyone who notices places on campus in need of energy
conservation is asked to e-mail the UCLA Department of Facilities
Management at [email protected].