Winter campus closure to save precious energy

By Ajay Singh

As part of an energy-conservation plan that saves hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, the campus will be closed during the winter holidays. So if you're considering a vacation (or thinking of canceling that trip to the North Pole following reports of melting ice due to global warming) you have plenty of time off to plan for.

Most non-essential campus buildings will be closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1 and will reopen on Jan. 2, 2009. The nine-day closure will include paid holidays on Dec. 24, 25 and 31, and Jan. 1. For Dec. 26, 29 and 30, however, faculty and staff will need to use vacation, comp time or leave without pay.

New employees and others who have not earned enough time off may use vacation days in advance of their actual accrual, according to information provided by Campus Human Resources. Employees who have accrued comp time may use it to cover the three without-pay holidays — or use it to offset the use of vacation time.

Further, employees who wish not to use vacation time or comp time may request leave without pay for the three days, provided their department approves. Such employees will not lose hourly vacation or sick leave accruals for these three days.

The closure, for the sixth year running, is aimed at offsetting a deficit in UCLA's state-funded utilities budget because of soaring energy costs, particularly for natural gas used in the campus cogeneration plant. Conserving energy by reducing heating, ventilation and air conditioning in buildings that are primarily unoccupied has been a regular practice at UCLA for many years, resulting in a 12% decrease in consumption, on a per-square-foot basis, since 1998-99.

During the planned closure, the UCLA Hospital System and essential-service facilities will continue to operate and remain open. Building services will also be maintained in certain areas to protect artifacts, instruments, vivaria and research materials, and to cool server rooms, critical data and voice rooms and hub rooms.

Selected buildings and facilities identified by the Deans and Vice Chancellors as essential for continuation of needed services will remain open or partially open. Planned performances, such as UCLALive concerts, will not be affected by the closure.

Facilities Management will provide detailed information about changes to building, parking, fleet and transit services closer to the planned closure. Energy-saving tips, pre-closure questions and relevant emergency contact numbers will also be available at the Facilities Management website.