MEMORANDUM

Date: March 7, 2016

To: Scott Bloom
Associate Director of Housing
Director of Facilities Operations
From: Megan Ritsema [MR]
Subject: Recommendation to solve the problem of overheating in Cal Polys dorms
Below you will note my recommendation to solve the problem of overheating in Cal Polys
dorms. This is a major issue for many of the students who live in the dorms on campus. The
report is broken up into the following major sections for your convenience:
Introduction I give a brief introduction to the problem, as well as my possible solutions. The
two viable options that I believe will fix the problem are installing HVAC systems in every
residence hall, or installing a ceiling fan in every room. After the brief introduction, I also give
some background information and an overview of my research in this section.
Methods I go into detail about my research methods and descried my primary and secondary
sources.
Results I describe the information I received from my primary and secondary sources.
Conclusion I give the pros and cons for each solution, and I explain why I think one option is
better than the other for solving the problem of overheating in Cal Polys dorms.
Recommendation I give my final recommendation to solve the problem of overheating in Cal
Polys dorms.
Following these major sections, you will see supporting sections that include Appendices A, B,
and C, as well as a Works Cited page and a Figures Cited page.
Please take the time to review this recommendation report, as I believe that my recommendation
will solve this major problem on Cal Polys campus. The whole Cal Poly community will greatly
benefit from students no longer being stuck in dorm rooms that are too hot.

Recommendation to Solve the Problem

of Overheating in Cal Polys Dorms

Prepared for:

Scott Bloom
Associate Director of Housing
Director of Facilities Operations

Prepared by: Megan Ritsema

Environmental Engineering Major
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

March 7, 2016

Index
Introduction........................................................................................................................1
Background Information..........................................................................................1
Research...................................................................................................................1
Methods...............................................................................................................................1
Primary Sources.......................................................................................................1
Secondary Sources...................................................................................................2
Results.................................................................................................................................2
Primary Sources.......................................................................................................2
Secondary Sources...................................................................................................3
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................4
Recommendation................................................................................................................5
Appendix A: Interview Questions....................................................................................6
Appendix B: Survey Questions.........................................................................................7
Appendix C: Charted Responses to Survey Questions...................................................8
Works Cited........................................................................................................................9
Figures Cited....................................................................................................................10

Index of Figures
Figure 1: How an HVAC system works...........................................................................3
Figure 2: How a ceiling fan works....................................................................................4

Introduction
The topic for this report is the problem of overheating in Cal Poly's Residence Halls. This is a
major issue for many of the students who live in the dorms on campus. During the months at the
end of summer, when it gets to be above 90 degrees outside for multiple days in a row, the dorms
get so hot that it is almost impossible to do anything productive in them. Students may be hot,
tired, and uncomfortable, and as a result, they may perform poorly in their classes or extra
curricular activities. As a student living in the dorms, I can testify that all of these things have
occurred. So far, no solid solutions have been put in place to rectify this problem that affects so
many in the Cal Poly community. Students are left to suffer, and their only solution is to buy a
desk fan. I am preparing this recommendation report for University Housing, because something
must be done. The two possible solutions I have come up with are as follows: install HVAC
systems1 in all residence halls, or install a ceiling fan in every room.
Background Information
Students have been suffering with this problem of overheating in Cal Poly's Residence Halls for
many years. All of the dorms on campus lack air conditioning of any sort, with the exception of
the Red Brick Living Learning Communities. However, the air conditioning in these dorms
doesn't work very well, and needs to be updated or replaced by another solution. So far, no
definitive steps have been taken to fix the problem.
Research
I conducted three methods of research for my report: an interview, a survey, and three articles.
My primary sources are my interview and survey. I interviewed Scott Bloom, the Associate
Director of Housing and the Director of Facilities Operations for University Housing, in order to
get more information about dorm temperature and to find out what solution he thinks is most
viable. I also took a survey of students living in the dorms in order to find out directly from the
source how students feel about the lack of a cooling method, as well as which option they think
is most viable. My secondary sources consist of three articles that give information about the two
different solutions I have proposed. They also shed light on the problem of overheating in
college dorms. I used one credible online source, one scholarly article, and one popular source.
Methods
Below you will see a list of the research methods I used for my recommendation report.
Primary Sources
1. Interview with Scott Bloom- Associate Director of Housing and Director of Facilities
Operations [1]
2. Survey posted to Cal Poly Class of 2019 Facebook page [2]

1 HVAC: heating, ventilation and air conditioning

Secondary Sources
1. Heating and Cooling Cost Guides- Home Advisor, Inc. [3]
2. Simple Ways to Cool Your Home and Save Big- Dan Chiras [4]
3. Dorm Rooms: Too Hot to Handle- Kelsey Sullivan [5]
Results
Below you will see the results of the research methods I used for my recommendation report.
Primary Sources
1. Interview with Scott Bloom- Associate Director of Housing and Director of Facilities
Operations [1]
I interviewed Scott Bloom, the Associate Director of Housing and the Director of Facilities
Operations for University Housing, in order to get more information about dorm temperature and
to find out what solution he thinks is most viable. I conducted the interview through email. I sent
the questions on Sunday 2/28, and I received the responses on Monday 2/29.
Bloom was very helpful in providing solid facts and information. He stated, On days that the
outside temperature has been above 90 for a couple days, some residents have indicated that they
are hot inside. This is most common in the upper floors of the apartments. Bloom also
explained, The situation may be uncomfortable for a few days as the temperatures fluctuate.
University Housing works with residents that have concerns and monitor those with health
related issues due to heat. Each year information is published on how best to keep your space
cool, and information is provided as to where on campus air-conditioning is provided to obtain
some relief.
Bloom informed me that there are 820 apartments, each with four bedrooms. There are 1426
bedrooms in the residence halls. He said, To provide an independent cooler to each at $200
would be expensive. Further, the electrical system in the residence halls would not handle this
electrical load. As of now, he says, The only bedrooms with cooled air are in the Red Brick
Halls. These have a swamp cooler type system. In this system the pipes run either hot water or
cooled water, so the system is switched from heating to cooling around Spring Break. Please
refer to Appendix A for the questions asked in the interview.
2. Survey posted to Cal Poly Class of 2019 Facebook page [2]
I took a survey of students living in the dorms in order to find out directly from the source how
students feel about the lack of a cooling method, as well as which option they think is most
viable. I created the survey in Google Forms and then shared it on the Cal Poly Class of 2019
Facebook page. I posted the poll on Saturday 2/27 and closed it on Monday 2/29. I received 179

responses to my survey. 81.6% of students responded yes when asked if they felt that
overheating is a problem in Cal Polys dorms. Of that 81.6 %, 66.9% thought that air
conditioning in every building is the best option, while 12% thought a ceiling fan would be the
best option. 66.5% of all students responded that if they were an incoming freshman again, they
would be willing to pay slightly more for housing in order to accommodate these upgrades.
Please refer to Appendix B for the questions asked in the survey. Please refer to Appendix C for
charted responses (disregard orange section of second chart).
Secondary Sources
1. Heating and Cooling Cost Guides- Home Advisor, Inc. [3]
This guide provides an abundance of information about HVAC systems, including information
about cost, insulation, and how it works. In order to cool an area, An air conditioner's
compressor contains a refrigerant2. As it works, it sends this refrigerant through the system. As
warm air blows across the coil that carries this refrigerant, the heat transfers to the refrigerant
(cool always absorbs warm). A fan moves the cooled air through the ducting and out of vents
that lead into the rooms of your house. The refrigerant returns to the compressor where the
absorbed heat is moved outside. The refrigerant is then sent through the coil once again to
continue the cycle. This is a very efficient way to cool a large space in a short amount of time.
An average HVAC system costs between $3,500 and $4,500.

Figure 1: How an HVAC system works [1]

2. Simple Ways to Cool Your Home and Save Big- Dan Chiras [4]
This article explains how celling fans works to change the indoor temperature. The movement
of air over the surface of your skin removes heat from a region physiologists call the boundary
layer--a warm layer of air that surrounds us at all times. By stripping heat from the boundary
layer, a ceiling fan makes us feel as if the air in the room is about 4 degrees Fahrenheit cooler.
Chiras says, A few strategically placed fans may be all you need to stay comfortably cool.
According to the article, ceiling fans can cost anywhere from $45 to $700, with the average
being around $300.

2 Refrigerant: substance or mixture, usually a fluid, used in a heat pump and refrigeration cycle

Figure 2: How a ceiling fan works [2]

3. Dorm Rooms: Too Hot to Handle- Kelsey Sullivan [5]

This article is written by a student from Purdue University. Sullivan explains the struggles of
students with air-condition-less living arrangement. She says that students across campus are
sweating in their sleep thanks to these conditions. Sullivan writes, The humidity and heat
make for a nearly fatal combination and cause misery throughout the halls of non-conditioned
buildings. Showering off to rinse the sweat off is nearly pointless when 20 minutes later, the
sweat begins to drip from your face. Sullivan believes these conditions will last until the cooler
months, but for now, students only option is to waste water with long showers, or be completely
unproductive while sitting and staring at a fan.
Conclusion
Overheating in Cal Polys dorms is an issue that affects the majority of students at Cal Poly at
some point during their time here. Adjusting to college is hard enough without having to deal
with living conditions that arent ideal. Both installing HVAC systems in every residence hall
and installing a ceiling fan in every room are viable solutions to this problem. However, both
options have pros and cons that must be considered.
Installing HVAC systems in every hall was by far the most popular choice among the students
[2]. It is also the easiest way to cool down a large space in a short amount of time, and the air
conditioner would provide the most relief from the heat. However, it is also the more costly of
the two options, with HVAC systems costing between $3,500 and $4,500 on average. On top of
that, it is unlikely that the current electrical system in the residence halls would be able to
support the HVAC system [1]. The entire system would have to be replaced, which would
increase the total cost by a huge amount. It also must be taken in to consideration that the
residence halls are constructed of either concrete or brick, so it is impossible to add insulation
[1]. An HVAC system without insulation is not very effective, because the cool air is quickly lost
[3].
On the other hand, installing a ceiling fan in each room would be much cheaper. Ceiling fans
cost around $300 each on average, but can be found for as cheap at $45 [4]. Ceiling fans are also
very effective in cooling down smaller spaces, and the dorm rooms are definitely small.

However, the students did not like this solution nearly as much as the HVAC system [2]. Its true
that ceiling fans can cool down a space, but the problem is how much. Usually they can only
make a difference of about 4 degrees Fahrenheit [4]. With the students suffering as much as they
are, this solution does not sound as appealing to them.
As a student living in the dorms, I completely understand the problem that we face. I have
avoided my room before because it was too hot to return to. The most realistic option to solving
this problem is to install a ceiling fan in every room. It is the most cost-effective option [4], and
cost effectiveness is important because the incoming freshman class would be the ones paying
for this upgrade. The fee increase would be relatively small. Each student would be paying
around $40 more to their total housing bill. This option also requires the least amount of labor,
and the students will ultimately be pleased with any relief from the heat.
Recommendation
Based on my thorough research, I recommend that University Housing pursue the ceiling fan
option. In implementing this solution, one ceiling fan would be installed in every dorm room.
There are 1426 rooms in the residence halls, as well as 820 apartments [1]. I am recommending
we install two fans in every apartment, so the total would be an installation of 3066 ceiling fans.
The housing fee for incoming freshman should be raised slightly to accommodate this upgrade.

Appendix A: Interview Questions

The following questions were emailed to Scott Bloom from University Housing.
1. Does University Housing receive any complaints about overheating in the dorms?
2. If yes, roughly how many?
3. Does University Housing feel that overheating in the dorms is a problem?
4. If something were to be done about overheating in the dorms, which of the following
solutions do you feel is most feasible?

Air conditioning in every building

Ceiling fan in every room

5. Why?

Appendix B: Survey Questions

The following questions were posted on the Cal Poly Class of 2019 Facebook page.
1. Do you feel that overheating is a problem in Cal Polys dorms?

yes

no

2. If yes, which of the following do you think is the best solution?

Air conditioning in every building

Ceiling fan in every room

I dont think overheating in the dorms is a problem

3. If you were an incoming freshman again, would you be willing to pay slightly more for
housing in order to accommodate these upgrades?

yes

no

Appendix C: Charted Responses to Survey Questions

Works Cited
[1] Bloom, Scott. Interview About Overheating in Cal Poly's Dorms. 2016.
[2] Cal Poly Class of 2019, Survey about Overheating in Cal Polys Dorms. 2016.
[3] Heating and Cooling Cost Guides, HomeAdvisor. [Online]. Available at:
http://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/heating-and-cooling/#how.
[4] D. Chiras, Simple Ways to Cool Your Home and Save Big, Mother Earth News, 2009.
[5] K. Sullivan, Dorm Rooms: Too Hot to Handle, The Exponent, 27-Aug-2014.

Figures Cited
[1] Air Conditioners and Furnaces - How Do They Work Together?, Direct Energy. [Online].
Available at: https://www.directenergy.com/learning-center/home-improvement/how-airconditioner-furnace-work-together.
[2] What is the Proper Ceiling Fan Direction?, Ceiling Fan Direction for Summer and Winter.
[Online]. Available at: http://www.delmarfans.com/educate/basics/what-is-the-properceiling-fan-direction/.

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