UT's Switch Your Thinking campaign has cut energy costs by more than $1 million over the past 15 months, according to Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek.

"This savings is a direct result of all of our students, faculty and staff doing their part to help eliminate wasted energy," Cheek said in a statement.

The original goal was to slash energy consumption by 10 percent in one year, and Cheek said this goal was nearly met.

The campaign calls upon members of the UT community to take simple steps in daily activities to reduce energy usage, including taking the stairs, turning out lights during the day and using double-sided printing and copying.

This reduction in consumption affects our energy costs and has a positive impact on our environment. Jimmy G. Cheek, UT chancellor

"This reduction in consumption affects our energy costs and has a positive impact on our environment. These are the core goals of the Switch Your Thinking campaign," Cheek said.

Since the beginning of the campaign in September 2008, many changes have occurred to help the effort.

Last December, UT released a new energy conservation policy. One major point included changing target temperatures of all campus buildings to 68 degrees Fahrenheit for cooling and 76 degrees Fahrenheit for heating. This was prompted by an estimated $20 million annual energy bill campus-wide.

As well as this, UT committed $200,000 dollars to update the lighting in Hodges Library in hopes to save on cooling costs.

The university is planning more changes for the coming months, including the addition of more automatic light switches, energy efficient bulbs and upgrades to other infrastructure.