Is using the elevator hurting our cause?

So one topic that has come up recently has been whether we, as green team members, should be promoting using the stairs instead of the elevator.

I have been attempting to looking into this and come up with some concrete numbers about how much energy we save by using the stairs instead.

Of course, this is something that is extremely difficult to measure.

However, overall, I believe there is definitely a case that taking the stairs can have a significant impact on energy conservation. This is something I will also discuss with Kelly, the energy conservation specialist on campus as well.

In the meantime, the most significant stats I can find on this come from 2 articles I found online:

http://www.slate.com/id/2215513/

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/commercial.html


The best stat I found was this:
According to figures provided by elevator manufacturer Kone, a typical hydraulic elevator in a three-story office building uses 3,800 kilowatt-hours per year, or about as much as the average American home uses in four months. A traction elevator in a 10-story building might use about five-and-a-half times as much energy.

So if anyone is interested in pursuing a campaign around this, feel free! :) Just thought I'd share my thoughts and research!

Rachel