About the Challenge
Previous Challenge Results: Fall 2013 |Spring 2012 | Fall 2011 | Spring 2011 | Fall 2010 | Spring 2010
Background: The purpose of the Energy Challenge is to instill conservation habits in participants. It rewards participants for making small behavior changes that, when performed collectively, can substantially decrease Indiana University's environmental impact. In the summer of 2011, Nolan Hendon, Utility Conservation Intern with the Office of Sustainability, undertook a study to analyze the savings in water and electricity attributed to the Energy Challenge outside of the four-week competition window. During just the 20 challenge weeks, academic buildings and residence halls have saved 3,813,600 gallons of water and 2,578,028 kWh of electricity. When combined with non-challenge figures, these savings jump to 24,465,642 gallons of water and 9,438,986 kWh of electricity. The efforts of the thousands of Energy Challenge participants have resulted in an avoidance of 9,376 metric tons of CO2 emissions and have saved the university $1,090,693 in utility costs.
Fall 2013 Energy Challenge Results | Back to Top
This fall, the challenge included 17 residence halls and apartment housing complexes; 15 lab, classroom or administrative buildings; and 13 Greek houses, making it one of the largest energy challenges in the nation. This year, the 45 buildings had savings of 1,486,224 gallons of water (enough to fill 60,000 bathtubs) and 1,522,170 kWh of electricity (the equivalent of taking 1500 average homes off line during the competition) compared to their normal usage. Each building competed to reduce the largest percentage of water and electricity usage in comparison to each building’s weatherized baseline calculation.
Academic buildings were placed in three categories based on building type: administrative, classroom, or laboratory buildings. Residential Programs and Services’ (RPS) residence halls and apartment housing were placed in four categories based on location: northwest, northeast, central, and southeast neighborhoods. Thirteen housed sorority and fraternity houses competed in a final category, making eight total for the competition. This year's first place winners are as follows:
- Academic Buildings:
- Administrative: Maurer School of Law
- Classroom: Geological Sciences/Geological Survey
- Laboratory: Jordan Hall
- Residence Halls and Apartment Housing:
- Northwest Neighborhood: Collins Living Learning Center
- Northeast Neighborhood: Tulip Tree Apartments
- Central Neighborhood: Ashton Residence Center
- Southeast Neighborhood: Read Residence Center
- Greek Houses: Delta Delta Delta
- Residence Halls:
- Water competition: Teter Resident Center
- Electricity competition: Ashton Resident Center
- Apartment Housing:
- Water competition: Redbud Hill Apartments
- Electricity competition: University Apartments East
- Greek Houses: Combined water and electricity competition: Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Academic Buildings: Combined water and electricity competition: Lindley Hall
First place winners in each of the categories, except Greek housing, received a water bottle refill station installed within their buildings. The 13 Greek houses competed for a winner-takes-all grand prize of $600, a fund compiled through Greek house contributions. In addition to winning the competition, Delta Delta Delta also received first place in a banner competition, taking home another $50.
Spring 2012 Energy Challenge Results | Back to Top
IU saved a total of 243,174 kilowatt hours of electricity and 822,174 gallons of water. This equates to the annual electricity use of more than 200 homes and 5.2 million 20-ounce bottles of water saved. Lindley Hall claimed first place in the academic building combined water and electric category, saving 13.2 percent. Geology and Optometry came in second and third, saving 7.7 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively. Academic buildings displayed a combined savings of 26,685 kilowatt hours and 22,500 gallons of water. In the Greek house category, Kappa Kappa Gamma came out ahead of Delta Gamma and Phi Mu in an extremely close finish. The three buildings saved 14.21 percent, 14.18 percent and 13.32 percent, respectively. The Greeks' efforts saved 35,317 kilowatt hours and 5,500 gallons of water.
Spring 2012 marked the first time IU's residence halls competed in Campus Conservation Nationals, which pitted IU against 100 other colleges and universities across the country. IU Bloomington had the largest water savings in the country. With the residence halls and apartments participating in the national competition, winners were awarded for both electricity and water categories. Ashton Residence Center won the electricity competition by saving 16.4 percent compared to its baseline performance, and Teter Residence Center won the water competition, saving 21.5 percent. In the apartment category, University Apartments East took first prize in the electricity competition, saving 16.2 percent, and Redbud won the water competition, saving 0.1 percent. Residence halls and apartment buildings saved a collective 181,172 kilowatt hours of electricity and 795,269 gallons of water.
Fall 2010 Energy Challenge Results | Back to Top
Congratulations to the winners of the Fall 2010 Energy Challenge: Alpha Omicron Pi, Willkie, and SPEA! Alpha Omicron Pi used 23% less energy and water than their expected use. Willkie and SPEA each used 24% less than expected. Each winning building received a traveling trophy as a reward.
Total savings among the academic buildings, residence halls, and Greek houses amounted to 541,206 kWh of electricity and 1,286,199 gallons of water. To put these numbers in perspective, that is the enough electricity to power 541 average American homes for one month and enough water to fill over two Olympic sized swimming pools. An estimated 842,166 pounds of CO2 emissions and $34,739 in utility savings were avoided as a result of these efforts.
Spring 2010 Energy Challenge Results | Back to Top
Congratulations to the 2010 Energy Challenge winners: Collins Living Learning Center, Geological Sciences and Survey, and Zeta Tau Alpha. In total, the residence halls, academic buildings, and Greek houses saved enough electricity to power over 1,000 average American homes and enough water to fill four Olympic sized swimming pools. An estimated 1,596,952 pounds of CO2 were diverted from the atmosphere as a result of these efforts which is nearly the same as taking 133 cars off the road for an entire year. These savings resulted in an estimated $66,425 in avoided utility costs.
The winning residence hall, Collins, will receive a celebratory cookout and an energy conservation prize, to be determined. Geological Sciences and Survey received a 'traveling trophy' made from a former university electric meter. This trophy will be housed in the winning academic building each year. The winning Greek house, Zeta Tau Alpha, received a $900 cash prize. The second place house, Kappa Alpha Theta, received $350.