Each October since 2001, twenty-two of the residence halls are challenged to reduce their energy usage from the 1st through the 31st. They are divided into three brackets: first-year residence halls, college houses, and upperclass housing, and work within those brackets to reduce energy more than any of their peers. Overall, the focus is on collective energy reduction, but many students get much more excited about trying to be the most energy efficient in their bracket. Prizes are awarded to the residences that reduce their energy by the highest percentage.
At this time, Bowdoin's metering system allows for Chamberlain, Coles Tower, Howard Hall, Stowe Hall, Stowe House Inn, and 52 Harpswell to compete as the Upperclass housing. All other Upperclass housing is metered through CMP and are not yet able to compete with their peers.
In 2019, we pulled off a 8.9% reduction, with Osher Hall winning overall with a 27.8% reduction, followed closely by Coles Tower with 21.2%, and Baxter House with 17.6%. Maine Hall, although knocked out of the First Year bracket by Osher, had a strong showing with a 21.2% reduction.
We did not hold the competition in 2020 or 2021 but we are excited to bring the challenge back this semester for a February 2022 competition! Check out the current results on the dashboard here.
The biggest things students can do to help their dorm win--during the competition and beyond--are:
- Flip off the lights when not in use
- Unplug chargers once devices are fully charged
- Use drying racks rather than clothes dryers
- Keep windows closed when the heat is on to maximize thermal efficiency of the dorm.