Power management is important to help mitigate the global warming crisis, especially for universities which generally use a large amount of electrical energy. However, at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, several universities decided to reduce face-to-face meetings and replace them online activities, thereby reducing the use of electricity. This was also done by Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) who seek to manage energy efficiently and effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic through online lecture activities that have been carried out since March 2020.
This was conveyed by the Rector of UMY, Dr. Ir. Gunawan Budiyanto, MP., IPM at the 5th Indonesia University of Green Metric Indonesia Webinar, on Thursday (4/6). In his presentation, Gunawan stated that after the implementation of the COVID-19 emergency period in Yogyakarta and online learning activities reduced the number of activities in the building, UMY began to make efforts to save energy. “Since the implementation of the COVID-19 emergency period, UMY has tried to create a hybrid learning scenario. In addition, because this activity is online and does not involve classrooms, our efforts include the substitution of energy sources, equipment management, making even the smallest scheme carried out such as turning off the lights in the toilet when not in use and setting the temperature of air-conditioned rooms to 22 degrees Celsius. This is a form of our conservation and efficiency efforts in the use of electrical energy on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic so that it becomes cost-effective and energy-efficient,” he explained in front of the webinar participants.
Gunawan also explained to the audience of the webinar themed “Sustainable Campuses and Energy Management in the COVID-19 Pandemic Period” that for online learning activity schemes to be sustainable and sustainable, it was necessary to develop an online lecture application. UMY has been developing the MyKlass online learning platform since 2016. “In addition, the management of energy conservation at UMY is done through several strategies, namely by concentrating activities or activities in certain areas or in one of the buildings so that lighting is concentrated within a high ratio and make air conditioners more efficient. The next step is reducing the density or limiting the number of participants to each activity such as regular meetings, raising awareness, seminars, and activities that involve people. If possible, such activities are carried out online. This can reduce the increase in room temperature and reduce electricity usage. The last activity is shifting the load or canceling campus activities at night so it requires less lighting and the peak load is reduced, “he explained.
“Energy saving efforts that have been made at UMY include reducing the use of air conditioners and lighting in classrooms that are no longer available and in office buildings. In the current pandemic, the electricity cost savings have reached 70 percent and 15 percent of UMY operational costs per year. Not only that, UMY implemented periodic energy audits, use of energy-efficient equipment, installation of capacitor banks and analysis of active filter installation,” he concluded. (Sofia)
