GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University will be shutting down for 10 days beginning Saturday, Dec. 24th.
The university will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 3rd.
It's the first time that the university has halted operations between Christmas and New Year's Day. ECU expects to save money and enhance its efforts toward being eco-conscious by lowering temperature settings in buildings across campus and encouraging employees to unplug appliances, turn off the lights, and shut windows and doors.
Take a look around campus and you'll see it's already a ghost town.
"Virtually every student is gone already the only ones left are probably grad students,” said geography professor and department chair Burrell Montz, PhD.
Since most of the faculty and staff will also be leaving, the university is trying something new this year. For 10 days they will almost completely stop operations.
"We would have wound up with 2 days in the middle of the week that would have been awkward time, we thought it was better to give faculty and staff extended time with family and friends and proved the opportunity to save money,” explained Mary Schulken, director of public affairs.
Most of the lights will be kept off, and the heat turned down.
ECU energy manager Brian Pipkin says it will save energy and money.
“We’ll be saving on both electricity and on natural gas. We’ll be controlling the buildings at a lower temperature than they'd normally be controlled at when people are in them,” said Pipkin.
NC-State University has been doing extended close downs for years and the savings really add up.
“Since 2004 they've saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in utility avoided costs,” Pipkin explained.
So How do the professors feel about it?
“It makes sense. I was at a university previously that has done it for years and it took the staff a little time to get used to it but now they love it, they plan ahead their vacations and it gives them extra time with their families,” said Montz.
So if your going on home for the holidays, unplug it and turn it off... its lights out for ECU.
For more information and a list of ECU buildings included in the shutdown, click here.
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