Energy and Comfort @ WSU

Goals of the Tenant Engagement Campaign at WSU

Energy and Comfort at WSU, sponsored by Facilities Services, is a program developed by the ID+CL to help WSU facilities operate more efficiently and manage occupant comfort within them. The engagement program development was informed by a survey deployed in November 2020 and over 60 interviews with employees recruited specifically for their location in the buildings. Because the WSU Pullman campus is not a series of commercial tenants but is rather a collection of departments and colleges that manage space use across campus, the term “tenant” engagement, in this case, will be approached on a building-by-building and department-by-department basis. Narratives for each of these topics, as well as the reasoning behind the approach to addressing them, are outlined below.

Newsletters & Posters

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Undergraduate & Graduate Publications

Date	Title
March 30, 2023	Colligan, Z., Post, A., Ruiz, S., Day, J. We’re All in this Together: A Tenant Engagement Program to Combat Campus-wide Energy Use. WSU Academic Showcase. Pullman, WA. (Presented March 30, 2023). Won GSPA First position in Engineering and Environmental Science Category.
March 27, 2023	Rothlisberger, S., Ruiz, S., Day, J.(2023) Reducing Building Energy Use + Smart Strips. WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). (Presented March 27, 2023)
March 27, 2023	Roibal, J., Colligan, Z., Ruiz, S., Day, J. (2023) Somethings Got to Give: Integrating methodological changes in the face of limitations following a Smart Power Strip Study Implementation at WSU. WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). (Presented March 27, 2023). Won Gray award for Undergraduate Research.
March 24, 2022	Day, J., Ruiz, S., Olson, R. (2022) Smart power strips feasibility: Testing applications of advanced power management at university office workstations. WSU Academic Showcase. Pullman, WA. (Presented March 24, 2022).
March 24, 2022	Ruiz, S. (2022) Learning about buildings from older adults: A qualitative study. WSU Academic Showcase. Pullman, WA. (Presented March 24, 2022).
March 22, 2021	Day, J., Ruiz, S. (2021) “Energy and comfort perceptions in university housing: A mixed-method approach to understanding the human-building interface.” WSU Academic Showcase. Pullman, WA. (Poster virtually presented March 22-24, 2021.)
March 22, 2021	Ruiz, S., Day, J. (2021) “Discovery and Development of a multi-tenant engagement program for a net-zero building: Engaging high-performance building occupants in Spokane, WA.” WSU Academic Showcase. Pullman, WA. (Poster virtually presented March 22-24, 2021.)
March 1, 2021	Day, J., Ruiz, S. (2021). “Seeking Barriers to Comfort and Energy Efficiency on a University Campus” to the 6th International Symposium on Occupant Behavior Research (OB-21). Trondheim, Norway. Virtual/hybrid event.
March 1, 2021	Watson, L., Sterling, D., Day, J., Ruiz, S. (2021) Discovery and development of a multi-tenant engagement program for a Net-Zero building in Spokane, WA. WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). (Presented virtually).
March 1, 2021	Miller, D., Day, J., Ruiz, S. (2021) Collecting Industry Perceptions of LLLC Technologies. WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). (Presented virtually).
March 1, 2021	Moore, Z., Day, J., Ruiz, S. (2021) Exploration of Mixed Method Research Regarding Energy and Comfort in the Built Environment. WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). (Presented virtually)

560 Directly engaged with Staff and Faculty Communicate

8 Organized In-Person Engagement Activities Relate

16 Published Newsletters Educate

45 Engaged Departments Disseminate

48 Recruited Energy Champions Advocate

The goals of this tenant engagement program are threefold:

GOAL #1: Reduce energy use and costs at WSU
In this first step of implementing the tenant engagement campaign, occupants will learn foundational information required to understand the overarching energy goals of the building they work, study, or visit regularly.

The primary objectives of the first goals of this engagement program are to inform, educate, and empower occupants to help reduce their personal energy use and encourage their peers to be more conscious of wasted energy on campus.  

GOAL #2: Sustainable Community at WSU
Socially normalizing energy-efficient behaviors and building interactions can ensure that users are empowered to make the “right” decisions when actually occupying a building — in terms of both occupant comfort and energy use impacts. 

The primary objective of the second goal of this engagement program is to foster the development of a social and active building culture that inspires community sustainability in meaningful ways.  

GOAL #3: Health and Well-being of WSU building occupants
Promoting health, comfort and overall well-being of occupants is an important aspect of this tenant engagement program. This last goal of the campaign reinforces healthy ways to engage with one’s workplace, built environment, and community. Goal 3 is the capstone of the occupant experience of the tenant engagement program.

The primary objective of the third goal of this engagement program is to empower occupants to take control of their physical and mental health, comfort, and well-being. 

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