On-campus students: Get ready to start taking shorter showers and unplugging your unused electronics for the Crimson Conserve Energy Competition Oct. 17-31.
The competition will see which residence hall can reduce its energy usage by the greatest percentage. Residents are challenged to make small changes to reduce water and electricity usage, such as turning off unnecessary lights.
The winning residence hall will receive a celebration and prize.
Daily leaderboards posted on the department of energy management’s Instagram and Facebook accounts will track the competition’s progress.
“The goal is to help students get started on the right step towards being ‘energy aware’ as freshmen so that they understand the importance of reducing energy consumption to save Earth’s resources and save money in the future,” said Energy Engineer Donnie Grill.
While the competition lasts only two weeks, these energy-efficient habits and practices can help students for life.
“Many students that currently reside in the residence halls will have a utility bill of their own to pay in the near future,” said Grill. “Participating in Crimson Conserve will equip them with simple conservation practices that they can implement throughout their futures to save money, resources and energy.”
By learning the importance of energy conservation, students will help contribute to the University’s pursuit of a more energy-efficient campus.
“The University of Alabama has a goal to reduce energy consumption by 2% each year by evaluating new construction designs to perform energy audits on the existing buildings on campus,” said Grill. “The UA energy management department evaluates new technologies each year and reviews what other universities across the country are doing as well.”
Energy Saving Tips:
- Turn off unnecessary lights.
- Unplug electronics when not in use.
- Take shorter showers.
- Wash laundry in full, cold loads.
- Set the thermostat to 72 degrees.
- Turn off the air conditioning unit and open the windows for a few hours in the evening for cool, fresh air this time of year.
- Swap one incandescent or fluorescent light bulb for one LED bulb for free at a light bulb swap table event. Check the UA events calendar or the department of energy management’s social media for the table event near you.