As most people are turning their thermostats up for the winter, one local university is turning theirs down.Transylvania University is a few days away from its annual "holiday hibernation."The last day for students was Dec. 13; they return on Jan. 6. While the majority of the 1,000 students at the private liberal arts college are gone, the electricity is turned down."Over the last 10 years, Transylvania has saved approximately $1.5 million in utility costs alone from not being open and not having buildings up and running full of heating and electricity over the winter break," said Megan Moloney, vice president of marketing and communications.Administrative offices close from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. Campus security is still fully operational, and all athletic events will go on as scheduled."It's an effort to be sustainable and to do something that's going to benefit not only the university but the community as a whole, and provide cost and energy savings to us here on campus," said Moloney.The students who stay on campus have individual controls in their dorm rooms. University officials say the savings generated from the shutdown are used to help offset the costs of other programs benefiting students.