Faculty and Staff

Your Cost-Saving Suggestions

Last updated September 8, 2009 5:22:00 PM PDT
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Some of the best suggestions for cutting costs at UCSD come from our own faculty, staff, and students. Share your ideas by sending them to budgetline@ucsd.edu.

We'll reply to all suggestions and also post ideas on this page. Thank you!

Suggestions that have been endorsed by campus experts

  • Use phone and video conferences instead of face-to-face meetings.
  • Be sure lights and equipment are turned off when you leave work for at the end of the day.
  • Avoid printing unnecessary hard copies of documents.
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
  • More tips for conserving energy and resources from UCSD's Sustainability 2.0 program

Other suggestions that have been submitted


Building climate control/ lighting

  • Automatic lighting (turn off when people leave)
  • Close the campus during spring break.
  • Post the energy usage in buildings every month so employees see that it makes a difference to conserve electricity and heat.
  • Widen the thermostat set-points from 70F - 74F to 68F - 76F in non-critical spaces.
  • Set thermostats to 78 degrees on hot days and 68 degrees on cold days.
  • Increase thermostat "off-peak" settings by 2 hours per working day.
  • Mimic weekend thermostat conditions on Fridays (with 4-day workweek).
  • Be vigilant in turning off lights at the end of the day, perhaps via a designated staff member.
  • Identify spaces that do not have operable switches, and install them.

Computer use

  • Turn off monitors at night
  • Reduce color printing
  • Install software to automatically put PCs on standby and hibernation modes.
  • Print and copy using both sides of the paper.
  • Replace desktop computers with more efficient laptops.
  • Buy laptops when replacing computers to make telecommuting easier.
  • Eliminate second monitors for desktop PCs.
  • Replace CRTs with LCDs, which use less energy.
  • Eliminate personal printers.

Electric power usage

  • Eliminate personal space heaters, which are very inefficient.
  • Eliminate redundant department refrigerators.
  • Provide incentives to encourage reduction of other plug-in office devices.

Office amenities

  • Stop bottled water, replace with sink filter
  • Bring your own water, office doesn't provide water

Administrative/ personnel

  • Centralize administrative services
  • Eliminate paper earning statements (access on line)
  • Eliminate employee appreciation events. Show appreciation without incoming cost, e.g. leave 1 hour early, flat amount gift cards vs. catered events, etc.
  • Telecommunicate
  • Cut down on printing/ publications; use online reports
  • Buy stationery in bulk
  • Go paperless (on-line ledger)
  • Four day work week
  • Eliminate color paper, use white only
  • Use new FedEx method, more efficient
  • Measure units' flexibility and cut the "fat"; across-the-board cuts penalize units that are running lean

Departments

BudgetLine