The Results are in for the College’s First Dorm Electricity Challenge…and they are electric

Throughout the month of April 2014, the Office of Sustainability, with the help of the EcoReps, ran its first annual Dorm Electricity Challenge. The aim of the Challenge was to educate students on how to reduce their electricity usage and to make them more aware of their current electricity consumption. Residence Halls competed against one another to reduce their electricity consumption as much as possible. Some of the many ways the EcoReps suggested for students to conserve electricity were to avoid overcharging electronics, using drying racks, and switching to energy saving light bulbs. The EcoReps tracked the electricity consumption in each dorm throughout the month and recorded their progress on a poster board in the student center and through an email campaign.

The winner of this year’s Challenge was the Senior Apartments, which reduced its energy consumption compared to the baseline by 19%, or 1,135 kilowatt-hours! Throughout the three-week dorm energy challenge, Colby saved 2,125 kilowatt-hours of electricity across campus, which is approximately a 4% reduction compared to our baseline week. It is also equivalent to preventing the release of 1.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide which is equivalent to burning 165 gallons of gasoline. Colby also saved $223 in electricity usage, which is a solid start and baseline to top in next year’s Dorm Electricity Challenge.

Please contact the Office of Sustainability at [email protected] for any comments, questions, or concerns.