Western Kentucky University will add a week to its winter break in an effort to reduce energy consumption costs.

President Gary Ransdell announced Tuesday that the university will not be open the week of Dec. 15-19 in addition to the winter break already scheduled from Dec. 22 to Jan. 5.

In an e-mail sent to faculty and staff, Ransdell also said classes will be canceled from July 3 to July 10, during the week of Independence Day to offset the cost of the estimated $521,000 shortfall in the utility budget.

The December closure is anticipated to save $80,000 while the July closure could save as much as $60,000, according to the e-mail.

“These are experiments, and we will measure the results,” Ransdell wrote.

A new contract with Johnson Controls has been awarded, according to the letter, to begin an Energy Savings Performance Contract which will study every aspect of energy use and offer incentives to reduce costs.

Ransdell said the December closure will be successful because commencement is earlier than usual this year with students graduating Dec. 13 and many faculty and staff do not work the week after graduation anyway. He pointed out that many take vacation during the week of Independence Day and that class schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the time difference.

“We are planning a ‘hard shutdown’ for some parts of the campus during this time,” Ransdell wrote in the e-mail. “Some circuit breakers will be shut down in some buildings except for emergency lighting ... While we hope most will work from home, anyone can use their office during these two weeks. Please know, however, that temperatures will be affected.”

Provost Barbara Burch also sent an e-mail to faculty and staff Tuesday saying she is “confident” the plan will not affect the academic integrity of the winter and summer terms. Burch also said it should not affect equipment or officials work in areas of scholarship, service, student recruitment and retention.

However, Burch stressed the importance of maintaining winter term enrollment as “we simply cannot afford to lose enrollment for this session.”

“We will be working with the appropriate offices to ensure that students will be able to enroll at WKU, register for classes, pay their outstanding fees, obtain their textbooks and receive the support services they need in a timely manner,” Burch wrote.

“Skyrocketing energy costs, coupled with the potential of additional budget shortfalls in the near term, necessitate we take proactive steps to minimize the impact of a bad economy on our ability to meet the academic needs of our students and sustain a vibrant university community,” she wrote.