The “Save Our Flag” Green Cup Challenge competition between Andover, the Lawrenceville School and Deerfield Academy concluded this past Wednesday. The competition collected data comparing energy consumption of both newly renovated “green” dorms as well as older dorms across campus.
The final results of the competition between the three schools are not yet available because Lucid, the company that manages the national Green Cup Challenge and the “Save Our Flag” competition, is experiencing technical difficulties, according to Trish Russell, Director of Sustainability.
Preliminary results, however, suggested that Andover placed second in the interschool challenge behind Lawrenceville, and Carriage House won the campus challenge. These results are not final, according to Rebecca Hession, faculty coordinator of the Green Cup Challenge.
Out of Abbot Stevens House and Fuess House, the two dorms renovated in the past year to become more eco-friendly, only Fuess reduced its electricity consumption since last winter. Stevens, on the other hand, increased its electricity consumption by 39.6 percent.
One reason for Stevens’ poor performance in the Green Cup Challenge could be that the goals of the renovation was not strictly for the purpose of saving energy, wrote Elizabeth Davis, Senior Capital Project Manager, in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
“While the primary goal of the Stevens renovation was to address deferred and cycle maintenance issues within the dormitory areas, we did consider energy savings where the opportunity existed,” wrote Davis.
The most noticeable renovation in Stevens was the 30-second shower timer, which automatically switches off the shower after 30 seconds. Other improvements include new energy-efficient lighting, improved insulation, water-conserving toilets and LED-lit exit signs, according to Davis.
Fuess, on the other hand, was renovated for the purpose of reducing energy usage, and new energy-efficient LED lighting and occupancy sensors were installed over Winter Break, according to a previous article in The Phillipian.
Stevens currently ranks 25th out of the 26 dorms participating in the school-wide competition, according to Gunga Data. The competition only measures electricity consumption, not heat or water consumption, according to a previous article in The Phillipian. So other major renovations in Stevens may not have been accounted for in the competition. Fuess has saved more than 36 percent more electricity from last year, according to Gunga Data.
Since the beginning of the year, Stevens has produced around 18,518 pounds of CO2. Fuess has released approximately 11,177 pounds of CO2 since the beginning of January, according to Gunga Data. However, Stevens has spent $2,888 on energy since the beginning of the year, while Fuess has spent $12,747, according to Gunga Data.
Stevens and Fuess House, both located in Pine Knoll, were the only two dorms to undergo major renovations in the past year. Stevens was renovated over the summer, while Fuess was partially renovated in the winter. The renovations will be finished over Spring Break, according to a previous article in The Phillipian.
