Students Compete to Save Energy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2006
Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Mark Stemen, Environmental Studies
530-898-5428
Students Compete to Save Energy
Students in Lassen and Shasta Halls, two identical residence halls located next to each other on the California State University, Chico campus, started a competition on Monday to see which hall can reduce its energy consumption the most.
On Wednesday, April 26, at noon, residents of Lassen will bring in their old bulbs and exchange them for compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) provided by Green Campus. The media is invited to talk with the students and to look at their real-time energy use on monitors in the lobby. Shasta students exchanged their light bulbs on Monday.
To prepare for the competition, students from Green Campus worked with Facility Management Services and University Housing to install real-time energy meters in the two buildings. The students connected the energy meters through an Ethernet gateway to the campus Web server. A monitor installed in the lobby of each hall shows an updated reading of energy use every five seconds.
"As a result of being able to monitor energy use immediately," said Professor Mark Stemen, coordinator of Environmental Studies, "students are shutting off lights all over the halls to see if it helps. We are the first campus to have actually figured out how to do this, and the students were really the innovators. The research will help every residence hall in California save energy."
The competition will last for two weeks and includes extensive information outreach to make students aware of their energy use and how to conserve energy.
In addition to free light bulbs, Green Energy has gathered prizes from local businesses and the A.S. Bookstore for a drawing. Wednesday, April 26, from noon until 2 pm, students from the winning residence hall will have their names entered into a drawing for an i-pod, two bicycles, and more than $700 in downtown gift certificates.
"The effectiveness of this competition relies on the students' comprehension of their real-time energy savings," said Green Campus intern Joanne Panchana. "Ideally students will see how much energy they are consuming and then work to reduce their energy use by turning off lights, unplugging appliances, putting appliances on power save mode and changing their light bulbs."
Green Campus is a student-led outreach program designed to educate campus communities about the importance of energy efficiency. Participating California State University campuses are Chico, Humboldt, San Bernardino, San Diego and Sonoma; University of California campuses are Berkeley, Irvine, San Diego and Santa Barbara.
The Green Campus program addresses wasteful behavior and purchasing decisions, and its educational outreach efforts work to improve the sustainability and quality of life on campus. The program is part of the Alliance to Save Energy and is funded by California ratepayers under auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
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