Home for the holidays

This article originally appeared on Dec14/18 in the Michigan IT News.

As winter break approaches, many of us are busy with holiday plans and are eager to finish up our work so we can relax with family and friends. But before you set up your away message and head out the door:

• Help U-M conserve energy and money over the break:
  • Close and lock all windows to save energy and prevent water pipes and sprinkler heads from freezing and bursting.
  • Set thermostats to 68°F where possible for the building to operate efficiently and conserve energy.
  • Turn off all unused office equipment, including monitors, copiers, fans, coffee pots, task lighting, and device chargers.
  • Turn off all printers unless they put themselves into energy-saving or "sleep" mode.
  • Turn off space heaters.
  
  
• Help campus remain safe and secure:
  • Close and lock all doors.
  • Secure any valuables.
  • Lock desks and closets.

During the break, many buildings will be locked, residence halls will be vacated, most campus computing sites will be closed, and ITS will be operating on a reduced schedule. If you are working over the break and need assistance, call:

• 911 to report crimes and emergencies to university police
• 734-763-1131, the U-M Division of Public Safety and Security, for non-emergency issues
• 734-647-2059, the Plant Operations Call Center, for maintenance requests, including custodial service, groundskeeping, and parking maintenance

Don't forget! When you come back from the holiday break, double check to make sure all of your equipment is plugged in and turned on before reporting any problems. And turn off your out-of-office message. :-)

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