Campus housing saved more than $10,000 in energy consumption last month because of the second annual Unplug competition.West Campus Apartments reduced its energy by 26 percent and won the month-long competition. Students from the Environmental Conservation Organization, Students In Free Enterprise and Freshman Leadership Council read the meters in each community to determine the winner. The Blake/McVoy and Acadian/Laville Honors communities trailed WCA with a 23 percent reduction, and the Horseshoe area finished third with 21 percent. The 14 percent average reduction could power 181 homes, 12,000 light bulbs and 4,000 computers for one month, said Catherine David, ResLife Communications Director. But last year’s competition produced better results in several facets. The participating communities reduced their energy by an estimated 18 percent, and East Campus Apartments, the winning community, finished with a 35 percent reduction. The grand total of energy conserved amounted to more than $13,000.Less money was saved this year, but students conserved more kilowatt hours this year, said ECO co-president Matt Wyatt. “People are sometimes quick to say it wasn’t successful, but so many variables contribute to it,” Wyatt said. “We used a different time frame, and factors like weather can also affect energy usage.”Participation in residence halls increased this year, despite the numbers. The top five communities were much closer than last year, Wyatt said.
Students compared the meter readings to readings from the same time period during the last three years, unlike the 2009 competition when they only compared them to the 2008 readings. And the program accomplished its goal of reducing energy and educating students about energy consumption. “The competition was a success because of the money saved,” said Anna Cockfield, pre-nursing freshman. “Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money that could go toward something this University needs.”The money saved will be used to fund future improvements to campus housing and offset rent inreases, David said. “The simple steps of turning off lights, unplugging chargers and taking shorter showers made a big difference with so many residents’ participation,” David said. Three Greek organizations participated in Unplug this year. Phi Mu Sorority clinched first place with a 45 percent reduction. Students in Phi Mu regularly dim the lights in their living area, said Andrea Wesner, communication disorders sophomore.”There is no reason to leave lights on when no one is in there,” Wesner said. “Energy conservation is good practice, and obviously the results proved it was well worth it.”Organizers were pleased with the inclusion of Greek organizations. Wyatt said he hopes next year’s competition will include more Greek involvement.—-Contact Sabrina Trahan at [email protected]