Research
40 schools will compete this November in the first real-time, nationwide building energy and water use reduction competition.
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Real-Time Energy Competitions
One way of providing socially-contextualized energy use information on the web is to engage Building Dashboard® users in real-time energy and water reduction competitions. Studies have demonstrated that competitions among similar or neighboring buildings can motivate individuals to achieve even higher resource use reductions. Lucid's own findings show that community-wide comparisons and friendly competitions are indispensable tools for conservation, community building and developing long-term strategies for managing consumption.
When you look at the Competition App in Building Dashboard, you'll see how your building compares with competing buildings on a real-time basis. A variety of options allow you to express savings in dollars, carbon dioxide averted from the atmosphere or miles driven in an automobile, or determine how much was saved per person or square meter.
With Building Dashboard Network, real-time energy and water competitions can take place across multiple locations or timezones. Individual floors, buildings, user-defined groups and even entire organizations can compete to reduce consumption at local, regional and national levels. As changes in resource use are recorded, reductions are instantly displayed on your Building Dashboard and across the Network.
Dorm Energy Competition Research
Oberlin College students used Building Dashboard to rival their neighbors in the first real-time "dorm energy competition" on a college campus, in which residents could easily track energy consumption from a personal computer.
During a competition in 2005, residents of the two dorms provided with high-resolution, real-time feedback reduced consumption by 55% and 56%, respectively, while dorms provided with medium-resolution feedback reduced by 32%. In two weeks, students conserved 68,000 kWh and saved $5,100. In a post-competition survey, dorm residents reported developing resource saving strategies that they intended to continue at school and elsewhere.
| School | Duration | Savings | Top Reductions |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri | Apr 4 - May 2, 2010 | 18,718 kWh, $1,591 | Top reducing residence hall: 11.3% (3 buildings participating) |
| Harvard University | Apr 18 - Apr 24, 2010 | 1,949 kWh, $319 | Top reducing residence hall: 5.7% (2 buildings participating) |
| James Madison University | Apr 1 - Apr 22, 2010 | 9,426 kWh, $801 | Top 3 reducing residence halls: 7.7%, 6.8%, 6.6% (11 buildings participating) |
| Elon University | Feb 16 - Apr 6, 2010 | 231,454 kWh, $13,887 | Top 2 reducing residence halls by area: 36.6%, 26.5%; top 2 reducing residence halls by total reduction: 36.9%, 34.4% (41 buildings participating) |
| Bowdoin College | Feb 22 - Mar 5, 2010 | 4,376 kWh, $372 | Top 3 reducing residence halls: 17.2%, 9.0%, 7.1% (11 buildings participating) |
| Deerfield Academy | Jan 25 - Feb 22, 2010 | 10,880 kWh, $1,578 | Top 3 reducing buildings: 53.4 kWh/person, 35.3 kWh/person, 34.8 kWh/person (16 buildings participating) |
| St John's University | Feb 3-17, 2010 | 22,320 kWh, $4,241 | Top 3 reducing residence halls: 15.8%, 12.7%, 10.0% (6 buildings participating) |
| Hamilton College | Apr 15-30, 2009 | 44,345 kWh, $5,543 | Top 5 reducing residence halls: 40.9%, 35.7%, 31.5%, 23.6% and 20.2%; 18.0% average reduction (11 buildings participating) |
| Oberlin College | Apr 9-23, 2009 | 10,675 kWh, $1,388 | Top 5 reducing residence halls: 42.5%, 37.6%, 25.3%, 20.4% and 19.3%; 8.7% average reduction (17 buildings participating) |
| Boston College | Feb 1-28, 2009 | 15,212 kWh, $2,282 | Top 3 reducing residence halls: 9.1%, 6.1%, 4.4% |
Campus Conservation Nationals
The 2010 Campus Conservation Nationals is a 3-week nationwide competition that pits college campuses against each other to see who can reduce electricity and water use the most. CCN's goals are to: engage, educate, motivate and empower students to conserve resources in their residences; foster a culture of conservation within campus communities; and enable students to teach themselves conservation behaviors that they can employ in the home and workplace in the future.
On residential college and university campuses, activities that take place in buildings typically account for the vast majority of energy use, water use and total greenhouse gas emissions. While most schools recognize the value of upgrading infrastructure as a mechanism for increasing resource use efficiency, changing the behavior of building occupants is also recognized as a critical component of conservation. This resource competition offers valuable educational opportunities in addition to the environmental and economic benefits.
Visit the Campus Conservation Nationals website >>
Dormitory Residents Reduce Electricity Consumption When Exposed to Real-Time Visual Feedback and Incentives | Download >>
Case Study: Elon University 2010 Powerless Competition
University of Missouri announces winner of Mizzou Dashboard Energy Conservation Competition
CU dorms go head-to-head to cut electricity use
Dorm Competition Lights Up with Energy Orbs
