Flip It Off! Fall 2025 Energy Conservation Competition

We are excited to announce the Fall 2025 Energy Conservation Competition will begin on October 16th! Check back here once the competition begins to see the 2025 standings!

Let's flip it off for 4 weeks and see how much energy we can reduce as a campus! Overall, the focus is on collective energy reduction, but we also have a friendly competition to try to be the most energy efficient in your bracket. There are 3 brackets: first-year bricks, college houses, and upperclass housing. Winners in each bracket get $75 to be used on an all-residence prize or event and the overall winning residence gets $100.

YOU can help by flipping off the lights in empty rooms, unplugging appliances and chargers once your devices are charged, using cold water rather than hot for laundry, using drying racks rather than clothes dryers, taking elevators only as physically needed,, and by using communal spaces—inside and outside—for hanging out and studying.

Please help us maintain safety for all and keep the competition friendly! Do not interact with circuit breakers or turn off emergency or stairwell lights needed for safety. Bowdoin issued phones must stay plugged in, keep hallways free of clutter especially when darkened, obviously no open flames. This is a fun and helpful thing we are all doing together!

You can see the results from the Fall 2024 competition here!

Energy Saving Tips

Turn off computers when not in use.
Turn off lights in bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, classrooms, and common areas when you leave.
Unplug chargers/appliances when not in use; they can use up to 25% of their energy just by being plugged in!
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Use energy-efficient LED light bulbs. LED lights are better for the environment than traditional incandescent bulbs because they use 75-90% less energy, reducing emissions associated with electricity generation. LEDs can last as long as 20 years. You can receive free LED light bulbs from the Sustainability Office at sustainability@bowdoin.edu.
Study in common areas to share light!
Air dry clothes. Loan a drying rack from the Sustainability Office or find one located in the laundry room of your dorm building.
Buy Energy Star appliances. This certification is awarded by the EPA to products that use less energy, save money, and are better for the environment. Mini-refrigerators can account for roughly 65 percent of the energy use in a dorm room since they run 24 hours a day! If you plan on buying a mini-fridge for your room, visit the Energy Star website for a sortable listing of mini-fridges that receive the Energy Star rating.
Email Facilities with heating and cooling issues, or call them at x3333.