Turn Off for Breaks

It’s almost Winter Closure – have you powered down?

When campus winds down for break, it’s one of Stanford’s biggest opportunities to reduce energy waste. By taking a few simple steps before you leave, you help lower emissions, protect equipment, and keep buildings running efficiently while occupancy is low. Whether you’re a student, staff/faculty member, facility manager, or lab personnel, there are tips for everyone in the Stanford community to save energy while taking a break this holiday season!

Why it matters

Across all of Stanford’s buildings, equipment left on unnecessarily can add up to thousands of kilowatt-hours of wasted energy. Simple actions like the ones below — shutting fume hoods in labs, turning off equipment, unplugging devices — make an outsized impact on campus energy use and emissions during holiday and seasonal breaks. Join the hundreds of colleagues and student peers powering down for break! These collective actions support Stanford’s campus-wide goal to reduce emissions and keep buildings operating efficiently year-round.

Facility & Building Managers:

• Check your emails for communications sent in November from the Office of Sustainability around building occupancy planning

Lab Personnel

• Shut all fume hoods completely (closing the sash saves significant energy!)
• Turn off benchtop equipment not needed during closure
• Power down equipment within your control according to lab protocols.
• For shared spaces, coordinate with your team or lab manager
• Unplug nonessential devices (chargers, lamps, fans, mini-fridges, etc.)
• Ensure Ultra-Low Temperature freezers are properly sealed

Students

• Turn off lights in your room and any shared spaces before laving
• Unplug chargers, power strips, speakers, fans, mini-fridges, and appliances
• Close windows fully to maintain building temperature and prevent HVAC strain
• Shut down monitors and other devices

Faculty/Staff Members

• Turn off equipment within your control (monitors, desktop computers, etc.) before you leave
• For shared spaces, coordinate with your team and building manager
• Unplug lights and appliances
• Shut down office equipment not needed during closure
• Turn off overhead lighting
• Close blinds and windows, and verify thermostats are turned down to appropriate levels
• Coordinate with building managers if your group has unusual occupancy plans