Extreme Green Dorm Makeover Challenge
The Opportunity: Saint Francis Energy, Increasing Demand and Prices
According to an energy audit conducted in 2004 by L. Robert Kimball & Associates using 2002-03 data, Saint Francis University uses:
• 11,229,768 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year
• an amount equal to the usage of 1,100 average U.S. homes
• costing the University well over $1 million dollars annually
There is a financial, environmental and educational opportunity in these figures.
Financially, electricity costs are increasing annually and rate caps, put in place during deregulation, are coming off all utilities by January 1, 2011. The lifting of rate caps in other counties and states has led to 70% - 100% price increases overnight. Though experts in Pennsylvania claim our rates could jump just 20 – 40% or more, this would add $300,000 - $500,000 a year to the University’s annual electricity bill (using 2002-03 prices).
Environmentally, electricity usage carries the largest price of any industry which presents a challenge and an opportunity to a Franciscan institution committed to ethics and environmental stewardship. Using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Power Profiler tool, the Renewable Energy Center has calculated that the University’s electricity usage is responsible for the generation of significant levels of air pollutants.
Air pollutants released annually from University electricity usage include:
• 28,177 pounds of nitrogen oxides (primary component in smog)
• 87,131 pounds of sulfur dioxide (primary component in acid rain)
• 12,508,208 pounds of carbon dioxide (leading greenhouse gas)
Meanwhile, demand for electricity, which will increase costs and air pollution, continues to rise. For example, analysis of a handful of female and male dorm rooms conducted by the Renewable Energy Center in early March suggests that the University’s student body is demanding an ever-increasing amount of electricity. Dorm rooms which a decade ago featured a few lamps and a stereo, are now host to a massive collection of electronics including TV’s, refrigerators, microwaves and aquariums. In fact, we discovered that one male dorm room in our study uses almost as much electricity as a house—a surprising 120 kilowatt-hours a week.
From an educational standpoint, this moral and financial dilemma is a tremendous learning opportunity. Saint Francis students will be in a job market and emerging economic reality where energy will be an unavoidable issue. Here is a cutting edge case study, right before us!
The Solution: Extreme Green Dorm Makeover for Financial and Environmental Benefit
We see this as a great educational and financial opportunity for the University. In the Fall/Winter 2008-09 this project will engage the student body in an examination of energy use in dorm rooms via research, a friendly competition, and a retrofit of one dorm room to make a model “green” dorm room the University can utilize to educate others and reduce overall energy consumption on campus.
We call the project the “Extreme Green Dorm Makeover” and its goals are to:
1. In an enjoyable way, raise awareness among the University’s 1,400 on-campus students about the impact of their energy usage and engage them in innovating solutions
2. Provide information to the administration to aid decision-making relative to managing institutional energy costs towards initiatives that could save the University $50,000 - $150,000 or more annually
3. Create a model Green Dorm Room as an on-campus resource and a resource other colleges and universities can use to accelerate their own energy efficiency initiatives
Objectives include: (see how you can green your dorm room---see the resources in the sidebar)
1. Analysis and Education about energy usage in dorm rooms.
This will involve the following steps:
1) Conduct a Student Energy Use Study using REC’s newly developed “Student Energy Use Calculator” (see Appendices) to develop a benchmark for electricity usage in male and female dorms by having 10 randomly selected male and 10 female dorms complete the spreadsheet
2) At the same time, develop an STUDENT POWER Education Packet for use in the project’s educational outreach into dorms
3) Collect, analyze and present the findings from the Student Energy Audit mainly through presentations in the dorms but also press releases to the Troubadour, and flyers and posters
2. Taking action via an energy efficiency competition between a female dorm room and male dorm room whose winner will receive an Extreme Dorm Makeover
1) The male and female dorm rooms with the highest electricity usage and highest interest in participating will be selected for the energy efficiency competition. Each room will get a “green consultant” of their choice (University faculty or staff member), a list of energy efficiency tips, and $25 to make their room as energy efficient as possible. Electricity usage will be monitored over a two week period using Kill a Watt Electricity Meters. The winner will be the one that reduces electricity usage by the greatest amount. The winner will receive a 50 dollar cash reward.
2) The winner also receives an “Extreme Dorm Makeover”, a “green” retrofit which will draw on the expertise of an expert team assembled by the Renewable Energy Center
3. Disseminating information about the study and model green dorm rooms
1) Share the findings, Extreme Dorm Makeover concept, and Student Energy Use Calculator with other colleges and universities beginning with the 88 members of AICUP and 55 members of PERC, a membership of PA colleges and universities committed to environmental stewardship, but including press releases to the Chronicle of Higher Education and Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Benefits to the University
Educational: Linkages to New Initiatives and University-Wide Education Goals
This initiative will coincide with the launch of the University’s two new energy-related academic programs in business and engineering in the Fall 2008. It also links to the General Education and Franciscan Goals of Higher Education particularly
Financial: Operational Cost Savings
As mentioned above, our aim is for this study to provide the administration with better information about electricity usage and opportunities to reduce demand. If the University institutes some further energy efficiency initiatives as a result of this project, the short term financial savings could be in the $50,000 - $150,000 range annually and long term could be even higher with simple payback of less than five years. For example, Dickinson College claims to be saving $75,000 a year after replacing older light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs in all dorm rooms.
Strategic: Strategic Plan in Action
The project is a clear application of the University’s Strategic Plan which speaks of the Universities commitment to “environmentally innovative practices and policies.” It also demonstrates to key stakeholders—such as donors and legislators—that the University is taking responsible and creative action with regard to a critical contemporary issue and linking it directly to student learning.
Public Relations: A Pro-Active and Creative Response to a Global Problem
In a time when energy-related issues are hot, the University’s taking a pro-active step to curb electricity usage and share effective solutions with others will be an important contribution that others will surely recognize.
Green your dorm room---see the resources in the sidebar above!