With the upcoming “shoulder season” (warm temperatures during the day and colder temperatures at night), Facilities Management is preparing to transition campus buildings from cooling to heating.
Please note that most buildings on main campus (Main, Woodland, Charlotte; Florence, Maywood block) are heated by a centralized campus steam system. This system cannot easily be changed back and forth from heating to cooling, which makes the optimal timing to make the transition complex. The Central Utility Plant and HVAC/R shop closely monitor the weather forecast during the shoulder season, implementing the following process to transition buildings from cooling to heating mode.
Generally, as the nighttime temperatures begin to get cooler (temps in the 40’s or lower) for a stretch longer than 2-3 nights, the Central Utility Plant will begin activating systems heating most Main Campus buildings. Note that this is a gradual increase during the shoulder season to avoid overheating buildings as temperatures usually increase throughout the day bringing building temperatures to comfortable levels.
For buildings existing outside of the main campus steam loop, the HVAC/R shop uses a similar process to transition those buildings from cooling to heating.
As a general reminder:
- Please report facility-related issues/requests using the online work order request system
- Please call the Work Request Center (508-793-7566, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday–Friday) to report urgent/emergent issues; after-hours emergencies should be reported to University Police (508-793-7575). Examples of urgent/emergent issues:
- No heat when there should be heat in a building
- Major flooding from mechanical or roof leaks
- Security-related door/window failures
- Hazardous conditions, including biohazards
- For time-sensitive requests (like event setups and other requests needed at a certain time), an online work order must be submitted 10 business days in advance. Business days are Monday through Friday.