Elon University’s fourth annual POWERless Energy Competition concluded this month with students in Danieley Center C receiving top honors for reducing their building’s power usage by almost a third of what it consumed during a baseline measurement period.
Residents of Danieley C were recognized Nov. 30 at College Coffee inside McKinnon Hall.
The POWERless competition challenged students in residence halls to promote energy conservation. Based on energy reductions from the contest, students saved:
• 10.5 tons of coal from being burned
• 15 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (primary contributor to climate change)
• 47 pounds of nitrogen oxide emissions and 207 pounds of sulfur dioxide emissions (contributors to acid rain)
The competition resulted in a collective energy reduction of more than 26,000 kilowatt hours. Students were able to view their building’s electricity usage through Elon’s Building Dashboard.
Elon also participated in Campus Conservation Nationals, the first real-time, nationwide electricity use reduction competition. Forty institutions collectively saved 508,694 kilowatt hours, which averted 816,394 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Elon finished 9th in the overall competition with a 7.8 percent reduction across 41 residence halls. The university boasted the highest number of residence halls in the national event.
“The most important aspect of the POWERless competition is that it raises awareness of the impact each of us can make, individually and collectively, by making a conscious effort to conserve electricity,” said Elaine Durr, Elon’s sustainability coordinator.