Energy Conservation in

the ASU Dorms

By Jamin Goecker

Goals

Be a blessing to the students of Angelo State and the environment

Save energy by using simple energy saving strategies in the dorms

Promote responsible resource stewardship

Provide educational information

Focus upon the dorms

Reinvest funds saved from conservation into other areas of opportunity

Give students a say in how saved funds

Minimize carbon footprint

Strengthens environmental wellbeing

Precedents

Cornell University

Energy conservation program focusing upon easy, energy saving strategies

Used educational campaign that utilized new social media (Facebook, blogs,
memes, etc.)

Carbon reduced by over 2,000,000 pounds

Saved Cornell over $250,000 in one year

University of Texas in Austin, 2009

Student-led

Two week experiment for reducing kilowatts per hour

In building with most conscious efforts, reduced kilowatts per hour by 1.6%

If applied to all buildings on campus, would save over $205,000 in one year

Angelo State Universitys Conservation

Strategy

Focus on dorms

Largest area of opportunity

Engage students

Set up competition between dorms to see who can proportionally save more energy

Utilize social media to educate, remind students about goals

Use posters and flyers in dorms as reminders

Put stickers on light switches to remind students to turn out lights

Label thermostats displaying approximate cost associated with each temperature

At least one student senator assigned to each dorm

Engages directly with students

Maintains posters, replaces stickers when needed

Posts weekly/monthly data in visible places

Angelo State Universitys Conservation

Strategy

Possible ideas for reinvesting saved funds

Short term

Freeze students resident rates

Improve dorms

Reward students with pizza parties, new TVs in dorms, etc.

Long term

Use for bigger conservation efforts on campus

Create an endowment for the dorms

Improve internet in the dorms

Renovate existing dorm buildings or create a fund for building additional dorms

Main Characteristics of ASUs Strategy

Student-led

Students coordinate with resident directors and administration, but students

perform majority of the leg work

SEE will work closely with the Residential Program/Student Life

SEE works closely with dorm communities, listens to the individual needs of each
dorm

Emphasize easy changes that can be made without investing in more

equipment

New equipment may be necessary in the future, but for now simpler strategies
adopted

Consistency/organization will be crucial to success

Conservation Scholarships

If your dorm conserves the most energy per student per kilowatt hour, your
dorm will take a drawing

Winner of the drawing receives a scholarship of $300-$500 from the Housing

Program

There will be a new drawing every month of the 2015 spring semester

Increase your chances!

Talk to your dorm representative for additional ideas to save energy

Encourage friends and roommates to save energy to increase your chances

Contact SEEASU@angelo.edu if you have questions about the Conservation

Scholarship

How Students Can Help

Turn off lights when leaving rooms

Especially when leaving for the weekend

Set AC thermostats at 72 or higher

Set heat thermostats at 69 or lower

Use windows as a source of light more often

Take shorter showers

Offer suggestions for how to save energy!

Encourage friends and roommates to save energy

If you have questions/concerns about saving energy in your dorm, contact

your dorm representative

Conclusion

SEE will strive to teach students to be good stewards of their resources

Bolster ASUs reputation of being a forward-looking institution

Be a blessing to the students of ASU and the environment

SEE exists to serve students and the university

Take advantage of this program by doing something as simple as turning off

your lights!

Sources

Building Energy Conservation in Sustainable Campus, 2010-2011, accessed

October 10, 2014
(http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/initiatives/building-energyconservation)

CER-Report-University-of-Texas-at-Austin-1 in Learning ACE, accessed October 2,

2014
(http://www.learningace.com/doc/5078977/84514c8da69d8b2111a021f7ea5ca1ba
/cer-report-university-of-texas-at-austin-1)

Plug Loads in Delaware Valley Green Building Project, 2011, accessed

September 23, 2014(http://dvgbc.org/sites/default/files/Plug%20Loads.pdf)

Texas Energy Quick Facts in Window on State Government, accessed September

18, 2014
(http://www.window.state.tx.us/finances/captrade/tx_energy_quickfacts.html)