From October 15-30, residence hall communities at the University of Chicago will compete to conserve as much energy and water as possible in the 2024 ENERGY STAR® Battle of the Buildings.
The competitors are: Burton-Judson Courts; Campus North Residential Commons; International House; Max Palevsky Residential Commons; Renee Granville-Grossman; Snell-Hitchcock; and Woodlawn Residential Commons.
“A large portion of the energy use in residence halls can be directly influenced by occupant behavior, such as turning off lights and electronics when not in use,” said Brian Bozell, senior director of energy programs. “If we all make small changes to our routine, it can lead to a big impact on overall greenhouse gas emissions.”
Before the competition, building engineers took a sequence of readings at each hall to establish baselines for kilowatt hours and gallons usage. Several readings during the competition will determine which buildings show the most percentage reduction, and eventually, which victors will get to display an engraved trophy for the year.
Previous champions Burton-Judson Courts claimed the electricity conservation award, with a reduction of 26% relative to their own baseline average. International House took home the award for water conservation, with a reduction of 34% relative to their own baseline average.
Over the summer, Maureen McMahon of the Office of Sustainability met with Residence Assistants to get them battle ready. “Houses will learn about energy auditing and discuss conservation practices that students can enact here and in life after college. Our students are eager to know how to reduce their carbon footprint, and this is a fun way to compete.”
“I often get asked what makes the biggest difference to the competition—is it taking the stairs, or a shorter shower?” she said. “Yes, though an important one is ghost electricity, which is the energy that devices like laptops and gaming consoles consume when they are plugged in but not in use. In a home, ghost electricity can account for up to 10 percent of the electricity bill—so unplugging in your dorm can really make a difference.”
Students who are interested in competing can view the poster What Students Can Do To Save Water and Energy. They can also hang a 2024 Battle of the Buildings poster up in their House to encourage other students to compete.
The winners will be announced the first week of November on the Office of Sustainability website, sustainability.uchicago.edu.