Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: What is the Energy Challenge?
A: The 2010 Campus Energy Challenge is a month long conservation competition. The student housing buildings compete to achieve the greatest percentage reduction in energy use by the end of the month.

Q: Why should I participate in the Energy Challenge?
A: The 2011 Campus Energy Challenge is a great opportunity for our students to be a part of the national effort in reducing campus energy consumption. Both St. Ben's and St. John's have signed the American University & College Presidents' Climate Commitment. As students, we should help the schools achieve the goals of becoming carbon neutral.

Q: How do you figure out who's winning?
A: To make the competition fair, we are not comparing the amount of energy use among buildings, but the percentage reduction compared to each building's past average energy use. Both campuses have energy metering systems that keep track of how much energy every building is consuming. We take that data and update the website every Tuesday.  Also Seton is not able to compete since they have electric heat, giving them an unfair advantage due to the change in seasons.

Q: How do I interpret the table?
A: In the Cumulative Energy Use table, the first column of numbers tells you the previous weekly average (baseline); the following columns are the weekly; and the final column is the percentage change of cumulative electricity use based on the past average.

In the final column % Above Baseline, 0 means the building is using the same amount of energy as it was before; a postive number means the building is using more than past average, and a negative number means the building is using less than past average. The lower the number is, the better the building is doing in winning the competition!

The individual table for each building records weekly energy use of that building. The Weekly Baseline is what the competition is based on. 

Q: So what do I win?
A: The winners of the CSB Res Hall Competition, SJU Res Hall Competition, CSB Green Cribs Champ, and SJU Green Cribs champ all will share a bowling party at El Paso with refreshments.