Fall POWERless featuring 'COMPETE to CONSERVE' final results

Elon students conserved 76,590 kWh of electricity and 79,336 pounds of carbon dioxide in three weeks.

Elon’s 10th POWERless energy competition, which encourages students to conserve energy in residential buildings, ended this week. Read this note from Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of Student Life, for the results of the competition and its importance:

Students compete each year in friendly energy conversation competitions as a way to improve energy habits and raise awareness of conservation, ultimately contributing to Elon’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2037. 

During the 10th POWERless competition held this fall, students collectively reduced energy use in residential buildings by 14 percent. The amount they saved is approximately equal to the amount of electricity it would take to power 66 North Carolina homes for a month.

Environmentally, the energy conserved during the competition equates to preventing:

  • About 40 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (a primary contributor to climate change)
  • More than 39 tons of coal being burned
  • More than 52 pounds of nitrogen oxide & 162 pounds of sulfur dioxide (contributors to acid rain) emissions

Residential neighborhoods with the greatest energy reduction were: Oaks – 18% reduction (Division I) and Historic, Academic Pavilions – 32.4% reduction (Division II). Neighborhoods will have their names engraved on a POWERless trophy that resides in the Moseley Center.

Individual residence halls with the greatest energy reduction were: Oaks A – 26.9% (Division I) and Honors Pavilion (Kenan) – 38.6% reduction (Division II). Residents from the top residence hall in each division will be placed in a raffle for an iPad mini and $50 Phoenix Cash. Winners will be announced at College Coffee on October 22.

This year POWERless also featured a new component, COMPETE to CONSERVE, in which students could compete with each other in small teams. Teams were eligible for prizes every week and the overall winning team receives ice cream with me and a $100 gift card for the team. 

The winning team of the first ever COMPETE to CONSERVE competition was The Sustainables: Kerianne Doran, Theresa Gilligan, Shenandoah Lucero-Keniston, Janee Lomax and Avalon Fox!

Even though the competition is over you can still contribute to energy savings.  View full competition results and stay up to date on the energy use in your building year-round with the Building Dashboard.