The Bowdoin Orient

April 6, 2001
Volume CXXXII, Number 20

Energy "crisis" rustles the Bowdoin Pines

by TODD JOHNSTON, STAFF WRITER

   The rolling blackouts throughout California and the high heating costs in the Northeast this year have once again put a spotlight on the state of energy in our nation. The spotlight is hitting Bowdoin College, too, as energy expenditures rise on campus with no certainty of when oil prices will level to a more accommodating cost.
   Partly as a result, the Trustees of the College have decided to increase next year's tuition by five percent, compared to last year's increase of four percent, raising further questions of just how serious the energy situation is on campus.
   Even with Bowdoin's annual budget of $90 million, only $2.25 million is devoted to costs for utilities such as heating and electricity. For the first time, utilities are running up a $300,000 deficit for the fiscal year, and their budget is now approaching close to $2.5 million.
   This unexpected deficit is the result of the primary oil called "#6 fuel," which has risen in price from $20 per barrel last year to a current $30 per barrel.
   This fuel is a very thick oil that is first heated and then burned in the Central Heating Plant to supply energy to academic and many residential buildings.
   It is purchased from Maine Power Op tions, a non-profit electric co-op out of Augusta that supplies low-cost power to non-profit organizations, colleges, and universities throughout Maine.
   Currently, Bowdoin pays six to seven percent less for its oil than it would otherwise pay if it did not purchase through Maine Power Options.
   But when the cost of #6 fuel increased by 50 percent as it did this year, that single-digit discounted rate was not of much significance.
   Not only are members of the College's budget committee concerned about the increase in the cost of the fuel, but the increase in its consumption has also become a growing concern.
   Rick Parkhurst, assistant director for Properties and Budget Administration, said that because of recent major construction and renovation projects, there are more buildings to heat than ever before.
   In fact, over the past five years, the College has increased its purchase of #6 fuel by 6.8 percent to cover the additional energy demand for the extra buildings. Both the rising cost of oil and the increase in consumption on campus have contributed to the budget deficit.
   Gerald Boothby, associate vice president and director of budgets and associate treasurer, said that regardless of the utility budget deficit, tuition is not going to be affected, at least not because of the high energy costs. It is not yet enough of a financial impact on the College for that consideration to be made.
   With the possibility of future utility deficits, natural gas has been considered as a possible long-term substitute for #6 fuel if the pattern keeps up. However, natural gas prices have also increased dramatically-to the point where a comparable barrel of natural gas is more than twice the price of #6 fuel, and natural gas is not as power-efficient as the oil.
   According to Parkhurst, natural gas provides 85 percent of the power that #6 fuel offers, and even when natural gas was less expensive than #6 fuel, the Administration still needed to purchase more natural gas to compensate for its lower power return.
   With #6 fuel, Parkhurst said, you get "the most bang for your buck."
   As a result, after consideration, the prospect of using natural gas was easily dismissed.
   Now, it is just a matter of waiting for prices to drop, since the cost of energy is beyond the control of the Administration. However, the College does have control over consumption.
   With academic buildings such as Searles Hall fully illuminated on a Saturday night, and with dorm lights left on all day, high energy consumption is something that the College community has the ability to change.
   Boothby said, "Energy conservation, especially in the Northeast, needs to be aggressive, and not complacent." Otherwise, what may have been seen as a brief moment in the energy spotlight could turn into an energy crisis.