Graphic by Jieru Ye ‘23.
Hope Frances Simpson ’24
Staff Writer
Sitting in my dorm room in 1837 Hall, I’m always struck by the lovely view of Lower Lake, especially at night when it is brightly illuminated by the lights of Blanchard Hall — lights that seem to remain on 24/7. Mount Holyoke College feels like a community within itself. There’s little one would need outside of the campus grounds, and it’s a pastoral picture of campus living — during the day that is. At night, the campus is lit up like a star by street lights and uninhabited buildings whose lights appear to remain on all night long. Even if the lights are kept on in Blanchard Hall all day and night, other buildings don’t get the same treatment. For instance, some buildings have motion sensors that leave these buildings in the dark during the night. For those night owls who find themselves in Clapp Laboratory or Kendade Hall after hours, this might be a plus, but I find myself wondering just how much energy this extra lighting uses and how much of my tuition is footing the bill. While I appreciate being able to go into any building without having to worry about stubbing my toe in the dark, the environment is certainly paying the price for Mount Holyoke’s excessive use of electricity.
According to Thomas Robert, Mount Holyoke’s Electrical Supervisor, “There are areas on campus that we require to have minimum lighting levels. In these cases, we try to install motion sensors with dimming sensors that dim down to a lower level to conserve energy.” Robert also said, “We do have some buildings such as the Library, CDC, Health center, Sciences, Mary Woolley, Creighton, Skinner and Clapp that hallways/common areas are controlled by light switches that are turned off daily by staff” meaning these buildings have the lights shut off when unoccupied. Additionally, stairwells have the lights dimmed down to 10 percent when not in use as another energy-saving measure.
I have noticed that this is the case in dorm buildings, like 1837 Hall, where there is a mix of motion sensor lights and lights that stay on at all hours. This provides an environment that can be safely navigated by students no matter how light or dark it is outside. Although leaving so many lights on in different dorms across campus is not necessarily what’s best for the environment, I have to agree that this is what’s best for student safety in residential spaces. Academic buildings, however, don’t necessarily need the precaution of lights that are left on 24/7 because they are not constantly in use the way that dormitories are.
“Most offices and classrooms are covered by some sort of control system to turn lights on and off,” Robert said. Mount Holyoke would be wise to consider using sensored or non-automatic lighting switched off during the night and other periods of inactivity in these buildings.
However, getting sensor lighting in academic buildings is a challenge due to their cost. According to an article by Sustainable Buildings Initiative, “[motion] sensors only provide optimal results if they are calibrated, wired, and placed correctly.” This means that they are not always the best fit for every space, and installation costs will be more expensive than regular lighting that doesn’t require the same level of calibration.
“There is a fine balance as far as cost, efficiency and payback goes,” Robert said. While generally efficient, sensor lights are more expensive and not an optimal choice for all the buildings on campus.
I would then propose using non-sensored lights in academic buildings that are used less at night and simply turning these lights off as a way to curb energy use.
Furthermore, even within dorms, lighting efficiency is not as simple as installing motion detectors in every building so that the lights are off when there is no human activity. For instance, this doesn’t account for the critters that could be lurking around at night, which could trigger the motion sensors and turn the lights on. Furthermore, some spaces at Mount Holyoke, such as basement dwellings with rodent problems, might not be the best fit for this kind of lighting. Meaning it would be best to have non-automated lighting in these areas.
While I am no lighting expert, I would advocate for the wider use of motion sensor lighting. While it is more costly, the benefits in the long run, which include less energy use overall, would benefit the College and our wallets greatly.
“I do believe it would benefit the College efficiency-wise to do motion sensors,” Robert said. He agreed that this lighting benefits the school, despite some of its pitfalls. Overall, the efficiency of this type of lighting does outweigh its downsides. While the College’s lighting practices certainly aren’t perfect, Robert explained that they are always considering new energy projects for the school and trying their best to conserve energy. Who knows, in a few years the view from 1837 Hall may become a moot point at night.