Wesleyan student teams competing in energy challenge

Do It in the Dark charity drive uses Joule Bug app to track sustainability actions

MIDDLETOWN» Do It in the Dark, Wesleyan University’s annual energy-saving contest goes campuswide this year.

All campus residences are encouraged to cut back on energy usage and compete for savings through Nov. 25

“Every dollar saved in reduced energy usage will be donated to Wesleyan Financial Aid,” according to a blog post by sustainability interns. Zach Valenti ‘12 created a fun DIITD video to introduce the program to newbies on campus which stars fellow Wesleyan students.

Wesleyan’s “sexiest energy saving effort” will track energy reductions using joulebug, an app available for most smartphones.

joulebug allows user to “buzz” every time a sustainable action is performed, earning the user points that will ultimately determine the prize-winning “most sustainable residence” on campus.

About 76 percent of Wesleyan’s carbon emissions comes from energy use, Sustainability Director Jennifer Kleindienst told the Wesleyan Argus.

Approximately 20 percent of the university’s energy — equivalent to $1.6 million — gets wasted, and that loss can potentially be channeled into financial aid, Ellen Paik ’ 16 told the Argus.

The app sorts the campus into two teams, including one for dorms, hi- and lo-rise, program houses (competing in one group), and another for woodframe houses and apartments.

The sustainability interns will award two prizes based on the app’s data.

“A grand prize at the end is awarded to the residence with the most actual energy reduction, which we track through the utility bill in the winter,” a blog post says.

The contest will also offer specific energy challenges to engage users.

For the first two weeks, students are encouraged to mind their electricity usage. The blog offers tips like turn off the lights off every time a student leaves the room, shut down a computer rather than putting it to sleep and unplug computers once they are fully charged (and unplug unused chargers).

Conservation tips anyone can observe include:

Keep the thermostat set between 65 and 68 degrees in winter. Turn down a thermostat if it is too hot. Don’t open windows in the winter – they’re the biggest wood frame energy waster by farand just make the heat turn up higher.

Lighting

Lighting accounts for roughly 10 percent of total energy use in a room. Use natural light when possible and turn off lights when leaving a room.

In the kitchen

Use medium stove-top cooking settings for most cooking; only high to boil water.

Cover pots when cooking or boiling water — it will boil faster.

Invest in some reusable plates, cups, and cutlery.

Use cloth towels instead of paper ones.

Turn the water off while washing hands, brushing teeth or doing dishes. Don’t let it run when not in use. Strive for a four-minute shower. When doing laundry, use the bright clothes cycle which uses cold water for washing and rinsing. Dry clothes on a drying rack.

Computers

Set a computer to sleep after 15 minutes and to hibernate after 30.

Shut down a computer if it won’t be used for a couple of hours.

Only print a document if absolutely necessary; and if printing is necessary, use the “duplex” printing mode to use both sides of the paper.

Appliances and electronics

Unplug electronics and kitchen appliances when not in use.