Heating issues at LSC

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Tom Archer sheds some light on how LSC determines when to put the heat on.

The Heating in the resident halls has been a topic of interest for students living on campus this semester.

“We typically try and wait for three consecutive nights where the weather drops below 32 degrees before we turn the heat on,” Tom Archer, director of physical plant at Lyndon State College, said, “and it takes a little while to set that up, but usually we have it on around the first of October.

The heat in the resident halls was turned on Monday Oct. 6 and some students believe that it was about time.
“For the past two weeks, since it first started getting cold, I’ve had to use a sheet, a comforter, a fleece throw, and a heavy quilt,” Tori Loyer, a creative writing major and Bailey resident said.

When the heating system was first turned on there was an incident involving smoke that set off the fire alarms in Wheelock. The heat had not been turned on since the previous semester and the windows in the buildings had all been closed.
“The smoke was basically puffs of exhaust that got sucked back into the building and it was due to the extreme tightness of the building,” Archer said. “But the system does work and the alarms went off.”

The fire department was immediately called into action over the incident, and assessed the situation upon arrival. The fire department corroborated with Archer as to the cause of the smoke buildup, and agreed that it was most likely due to the buildup of “negative air” in Wheelock that was caused by the lack of circulation.

“We recently installed new windows and insulation in the dorms to try and make the rooms a bit more comfortable, and to help with the overall efficiency,” Archer said. “If students have a problem with the temperature in their rooms, if they are too hot, instead of opening a window, get your RHD, just opening a window is a terrible waste, and we have the tools to tweak the system.”

Archer mentioned that if students do have a problem with the heating in their rooms, whether it is too cold or too hot, that they need to go through Residential Life with any complaints, “I haven’t heard any so far,” Archer said.

According to Archer, the school burns approximately 220,000 gallons of fuel a year, “The rising prices for fuel are definitely affecting Lyndon State College,” Archer said. “We are shooting for a biomass plant, which involves woodchips and is very viable, and in the long run would probably save millions. I am open to an energy challenge here on campus, it’s time to walk the talk. Let’s cut our electric and heating costs. It’s going to take an effort, and everyone needs to do their part. I mean, the planet is suffering.”