As Tuscaloosa’s weather begins to make the transition between warm and cold temperatures, UA administrators are faced with the decision of when to turn the heat on in both lecture and residence halls.
Greg McKelvey, the University’s energy manager, said the process involves more than just flipping a switch.
“Most buildings on campus are heated in the winter by circulating hot water through the building and cooled in the summer by circulating chilled water through the building,” McKelvey said in a press release.
According to McKelvey, the University has two different types of water circulating systems: two-pipe systems and four-pipe systems.
A two-pipe system, which is the primary type of system on campus, can heat and cool a building, but not at the same time.
“In a two-pipe system, the entire building is in either heating mode or cooling mode,” McKelvey said in the release. “The changeover from cooling to heating, or vice versa, must be done manually and requires a couple of days to complete.”
Four-pipe systems can heat one room while cooling another in the same building, but heat may not always be available because the campus’ steam plant, which is located in B.B. Comer, only operates during the winter months.
McKelvey said there is no exact schedule as to when the university will switch over from cooling to heating.
“The steam plant has come on as early as the middle of October and as late as Thanksgiving,” McKelvey said in the release. “The steam plant will typically be started up when the high outside air temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive days. However, temperature projections are also considered.”
According to the release, the steam plant accounts for approximately 30 percent of the University’s natural gas use and costs $200,000 a week to operate.
In a survey conducted by the University, most students said they preferred being cold as opposed to hot while in their rooms.
“Sure there are some days, like last weekend, when I wish the heat was turned on,” said Jimmy Campbell, a freshman majoring in exercise science. “But I understand UA’s thinking behind the whole process. If the heat were on all of this week, I’d be upset because I’d be roasting in my room. Currently, the weather is just too tricky to judge.”
Other students said they understand the way the system operates, but, come this time of the year, are frustrated with it.
“Today I wore my jacket inside but not outside,” said Kamilah Marks, a junior majoring in social work. “Heating on campus is terrible. It’s either way too hot or way too cold. It seems that no one can find a happy medium. Octobers and Novembers are miserable when it comes to the temperatures on campus. It’s comfortable outside, such as today, but miserable inside.”
McKelvey said it takes a couple of days to switch between heating and cooling systems, and that they will continue to monitor weather conditions to decide when it is proper to switch on the heat.
