What is a holiday turndown program?
The holiday turndown is a yearly program to adjust heat setpoints in buildings that are unoccupied during the holiday recess to save energy and money.
When does Emory’s turndown take place?
The turndown is scheduled during the holiday recess period. This past year, the program occurred from December 23, 2024, to January 2, 2025.
Where does Emory’s turndown take place?
The turndown happens in buildings on the Emory, Clairmont, and Oxford campuses.
Why should you care?
The holiday recess program helps save energy, money, and contributes to Emory’s ambitious climate and energy reduction goals.
Energy Turndown Program Process
- In early December, the CS Experience, Engagement & Learning team will reach out to start the process
- Customers can communicate about buildings that they would like to be added to either the turndown list or the exceptions list
- The engineering team confirms the status of buildings and implements the turndown at approved buildings
- Approved buildings will allow minimum temperatures to drop to 55°F, resulting in energy savings while maintaining a safe threshold for equipment
- Results from the holiday turndown will be collected and communicated by mid-February after usage values are validated
2024-2025 Holiday Turndown Overview
During the official University winter holiday recess, the heating systems in eligible buildings across Emory’s campus are programmed to maintain a 55°F minimum set point, which helps save energy. Roughly 31 buildings participated in the holiday turndown to help save energy during the 2024-2025 holiday period. Weather conditions played a large role in reducing the potential impact of the holiday turndown as cold temperatures drove baseline energy usage higher throughout December 2024 and January 2025.
Additionally, Emory Engineering has continued its mission in completing Building Automation Systems (BAS) migrations, meaning that some buildings could not be turned down while controls are disrupted. This resulted in a decrease in the energy savings potential from the prior year. The 2024 holiday turndown resulted in cumulative savings of nearly $50,000 in utility costs and a reduction of over 2,000,000 kBtus of energy usage.
Energy Savings
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, electricity production is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Additionally, improving energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective ways to combat climate change. Thus, Emory has worked to implement ambitious sustainability goals with an emphasis on energy reduction. Emory’s goal is to reduce energy use per square foot by 50% in university buildings and 25% in healthcare buildings. Overall, energy reduction policies save money and minimize waste.
The holiday turndown program is an actionable step towards achieving Emory’s Sustainability Vision. Energy costs are highly dependent on weather conditions. Heating load accounts for roughly 30-45% of energy usage in Emory buildings during the colder months, since buildings are programmed to be kept at constant warm temperatures. In the 2023 holiday turndown, Emory saved $132,000 in energy costs. In 2024, Emory saved 2,055,994 kBtus of electricity, totaling $49,409 in utility costs.
How does this relate to our Sustainable Vision and Strategic Plan?
Emory University aims to reduce its total greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2010 to 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This is a substantial goal, but it is achievable with the support of all members of the Emory community. Programs like the holiday turndown contribute to Emory’s sustainability culture and allow community members to assess their contributions to Emory’s environmental footprint. Each year, the holiday turndown is a simple and effective way to reduce energy usage and help Emory contribute to a greener world.