(Editor's note: On 10/30/24, this joint CALMessage was sent by Vice Chancellor Administration and Vice Chancellor for Finance to announce winter curtailment details for the two divisions.)
The Administration Division will strive to minimize impacts though processing timeframes may be longer than normal due to increased vacation time during the Thanksgiving week holiday as well as the Winter Holidays and Curtailment 2024/25 as announced by People & Culture on October 3, 2024. Below is an outline of service impacts that the UC Berkeley campus may experience related to some VCA groups operating on a modified schedule and/or closed during certain periods. Consistent with previous years, the over arching goal is to allow staff the opportunity to take accrued vacation time, rest and rejuvenate, and to ramp up for 2025.
Thanksgiving week - campus holidays: Thursday 11/28/24 - Friday 11/29/24
Administrative departments will be operating the days leading up to the campus holidays (11/25-27) unless specifically noted below for the three days prior to the holidays:
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People & Culture (P&C) - Will be unavailable to the campus and not able to participate in meetings or respond to emails until after the Thanksgiving break. Urgent needs that arise during those three days should be directed to Eugene Whitlock at AVC-HR@berkeley.edu and he will provide assistance.
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Supply Chain Management (SCM) - They will have limited staff available for emergency support only. Business Contracts will be closed the entire week.
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Berkeley Regional Services (BRS)Regions will be participating in the optional closure period and will not be available to participate in meetings or respond to general emails until after the Thanksgiving break. Due to these increased vacations, there will be delayed response times. For specific details or help with an urgent request, please reach out to the Regional Director in the ERSO, BEST, ProS, SHARE, or BEARS regions who will ensure assistance is provided.
Winter curtailment and holidays - Monday 12/23/24 - Wednesday 1/1/25
Processing timeframes will be impacted as many teams will be operating on a modified schedule during the annual curtailment period. Refer to the following for specific impact details and questions should be referred to the respective groups.
Berkeley IT, P&C, and Berkeley Regional Services
These groups will also be participating in an optional closure period from January 2-3, 2025 and will not be available to participate in meetings or respond to emails until after January 6, 2025.
See these additional website/news articles for service impacts:
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Supply Chain Management- BearBUY Newsletter Archives
Facilities Services
Heating and ventilation will again be curtailed on the Berkeley campus during the period from the end of the business day Friday, December 20, 2024 through Wednesday, January 1, 2025. During the entire curtailment period, faculty and staff are encouraged to plan to be away from campus to allow for effective curtailment of campus facilities.
Reducing energy and steam use during the winter break last year created cost savings to the campus through energy reductions of 722,000 kWh and 500,000 pounds of steam resulting in the equivalent emissions of 150 metric tons of CO2. Facilities Services is asking units for as much participation in this effort as possible this year. The financial savings are of critical importance in this budget environment. Equally importantly, the emission reductions are significant and help address our carbon footprint.
Exemption Requests
Units interested in curtailing energy for a longer period of time are also welcome to contact the Energy Office to schedule a longer setback period. Please consider whether an exemption is truly necessary before requesting one. The Energy Office is willing to work with building managers to come up with a curtailment plan which works for your building, through partial curtailment, off hours setbacks or other measures. Contact the Energy Office at energyoffice@berkeley.edu to discuss options.
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The procedure will consider ALL buildings for curtailment unless an exemption request is submitted. Only heat, ventilation, and lighting will be curtailed; normal electric service will be maintained at all times. Heads of units with temperature-sensitive facilities, essential lab ventilation systems, and public service operations may request an exemption by completing the Request for Exemption Form This form must be submitted no later thanNovember 29, 2024. A final list of approved exemptions will be posted on the Facilities Services website after all requests are reviewed.
Labs and research buildings are expected to participate in energy curtailment, if at all possible. Again, facility managers are encouraged to work with the Energy Office to come up with a plan which will work for your building. Requests for exemption will be considered on the following criteria:
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Controlled temperature area
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Essential safety, security, or accounting operations
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Operating chemical fume hoods
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Monitoring system needs
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Theater and sports events
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Retail operations
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Ventilation/AC for servers and telecom rooms
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Essential medical facility
Any technical questions regarding the curtailment should be directed to the Energy Office at the email address above.