FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Friday, January 4, 2008
This article originally appeared on the WNYT Channel 13 website
written by Abigail Bleck
Office makes statement with lower thermostat
ALBANY - These days the air is chilly in the hallways and cubicles of the New York State Dormitory Authority. It has nothing to do with office scandal or workplace morale. It literally is colder there.
No matter what it's like outside at 515 Broadway, inside this winter it will be a constant 68 degrees. The temperature is permanently set five degrees lower in the winter and five degrees higher in the summer at the Dormitory Authority - the first state agency with such a green policy.
"I usually keep my place a bit cooler at home. It's usually not an issue," employee Sal Renda said.
The thermostat used to be set to 73 during the colder months. But this year the 370 Dormitory Authority workers are guinea pigs for a pilot program called "Five Up, Five Down."
"Sixty-eight in the winter is not an unreasonable temperature by any means. It actually is more comfortable for a lot of people," Environmental Programs Director Jodi Smits Anderson said.
It's estimated the temperature change will save the state agency $10,000 in utility bills. But more importantly, it's expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to planting 50,000 new trees.
"It's to make a statement, but it's also to say why would we want to spend money or energy when that energy isn't actually affecting our comfort level?" Anderson asked.
Business attire is no longer practical. So there is also a new uniform of sorts. Instead it's business casual and everyone received a state-issued fleece to bundle up with if necessary.
"I think we're all accustomed to layering up in the winter time anyway," Renda said.
The Dormitory Authority hopes now that its changes become the new "cool" trend all over Albany.
"State agencies are the leader. They set the legislation. They set the goals. Of course it's a natural following that they also meet those goals," Anderson said.
In case you were wondering what it is workers at the state Dormitory Authority do when they're not saving the planet -- the agency is responsible for many of the state's public construction projects.