YMCA and the Greener Wheaton Competition
Good afternoon Residents of YMCA,
Aaron has sent me an email from one of his constituents concerning the YMCA results for February 2009’s Greener Wheaton Competition and I believe that the residents of our quad deserve a proper response and explanation. YMCA did consume 10% more electricity last February than it did back in February 2008. It is also true, after re-reading the post-competition analysis and conclusions, that February 2009 was in fact 10% colder than the previous year. Below are the formal results from last year’s competition according to electricity usage that increased or decreased as a percentage:
- Elms: -50%
- 11 Howard: -49%
- Lindens: -38%
- 9 Taunton: -19%
- Bittersweet: -13%
- 22 Howard: -11%
- 5 Pine: -7%
- 7 Pine: -7%
- Meadows Quad: +3%
- Beard Hall: +5%
- 44 Howard: +6%
- Keefe, Gebbie, Stanton, Cragin, Everett: +8%
- Larcom, Emerson, Chapin: +9%
- YMCA Quad: +10%
- Kilham and Metcalf: +273% (Note: These residence halls were attached to Park Hall)
We did not have meter readings for Guesthouse, 26/28 Taunton or Whitehouse.
After reading the percentage breakdowns, the eight residential units which cut electricity usage during February 2009 saved the college $415. The seven units which saw an increase in usage cost the college an additional $5,869, according to the utilities bill presented to last year’s President, Austin Simko, from the Physical Plant. But because it was colder between 2008 and 2009; the college could have expected to have spent an additional $17,770 in electricity. With these two pieces of information in mind, although electricity usage between February 2009 and February 2008 was not cut by the largest residential units, the amount of electricity use increased was lowered significantly. Instead of spending an additional $17,770 in electricity due to the colder weather, Wheaton only spent an additional $5,869. Therefore, the contest resulted in a $11,829 savings. By adding the amount of dollars saved by the electricity cuts ($415) and the dollars saved by reductions in the projected rate of increase ($11,829); the competition overall saved Wheaton College $12,244.
The Green Initiatives Committee, after completing all the mathematics, made the following conclusions: 1) smaller communities are able to mobilize participation and have been successful in conservation efforts when compared to larger communities; 2) if smaller communities were able to cut electricity use during colder weather, so can larger residential communities; and 3) there is much room for monetary and environmental savings if the larger communities can rally around conservation efforts.
Given the analysis and the conclusions made, YMCA is in a unique period in time to make fundamental change to energy and electricity use habits. If we can change our daily routines to add an additional second to turn off our lights in our rooms when we are not using them, unplug the appliances and cellphone chargers when we are not using them and even going so far as to keeping our computers on sleep mode are all ways of us conserving electricity. The Greener Wheaton Competition will be done during the course of the month of November (November 1st-30th). We as a community, as a quad, need to take responsibility for our own energy usage and only through our common obligation to turn off the light switch in our own rooms, can we see positive conservation of electricity. Should anyone have any further questions, feel free to e-mail me and I will be more than happy to answer your inquiries.
Sincerely,
Zachary Agush
Senator-at-Large (Clark Hall) Member of the Green Initiatives CommitteeOctober 23 2009 02:52 pm | YMCA