Seven townhouses are competing throughout the month of February in the Kill-A-Watt Challenge, an initiative to raise awareness of energy consumption and reduce energy use on campus.
The competition is based on each participating townhouse’s residents’ reduction of energy use, which will be calculated by comparing weekly meter readings to a baseline measurement taken before the competition began. The winning townhouse will receive a pizza party after the Challenge concludes.
Brian Webb, the Sustainability Coordinator at Houghton College, has partnered with Student Life to spearhead this effort. The key goal of the Kill-A-Watt Challenge, said Webb, is “to help students become aware of their energy usage,” especially because they do not pay electricity bills directly.
Gabe Jacobsen, Director of Student Life, said, “It is not just about reducing costs, though that is a benefit. Rather, it is about helping students become people who care about how they use resources.”
JL Miller, Resident Director of the Townhouses, said he supported the Kill-A-Watt Challenge because of his “professional goal of seeing the Townhouses as a place of preparation for students’ launch from Houghton.”
Elizabeth Bailey, Assistant Resident Director of the Townhouses, said, “I think it’s a neat idea and a great opportunity for upperclassmen to learn how to save on energy costs as many of us will be paying our own water, gas, and electric bills soon.”
Senior Dianna Cornell is among the students participating in the Challenge.
She said, “I think it’s a good idea. Energy consumption is something we don’t really think about, so the competition makes us conscious of it.” Already, she said, she is more aware of ways that she can reduce her energy usage, such as unplugging her hair straightener and turning off lights that are not being used.
After one week of the competition, more than three quarters of all townhouses saw an energy reduction, reported Webb. The leader, with a 33% reduction, is Perkins 48.
The competition is limited to the townhouses for logistical reasons: while each townhouse is on a separate energy meter, the entire upper campus (every building from Rothenbuhler Hall to Shenawana Hall, with the exception of Steese Cottage and the MacMillan House) is on one energy meter. Webb is exploring options to install separate meters for each residence hall and hopes to have them in place for next year so that the Kill-A-Watt Challenge can include the dormitories as well.
Whether or not their energy consumption is measured separately, individuals across campus can reduce their energy impact in simple ways: Turn off electrical appliances, especially lights and televisions when they are not in use. Turn off power strips when they are not needed. Turn off computers at night (the myth that this harms computers is old-fashioned and untrue). Use microwave ovens rather than electric ovens, since they use less electricity. Energy-saving practices such as these and others can help to reduce the amount of electricity that is wasted.
Webb said, “With energy, a lot of it comes down to habit, and it doesn’t take very long to develop energy-saving habits.”
By raising awareness of sustainability issues and reducing energy waste, the Kill-A-Watt Challenge marks a step towards sustainability at Houghton College. Jacobsen said, “Houghton is still in the infancy stage, in the residences at least, in addressing sustainability issues.” Both Jacobsen and Webb hope to see the Kill-A-Watt Challenge continued and expanded next year.
Although only students in participating townhouses are part of the Challenge, everyone on campus, from students to faculty and staff, can contribute. Simply knowing about the Kill-A-Watt Challenge raises awareness on campus and represents an opportunity to participate in Houghton’s movement toward greater sustainability. Jacobsen said, “From a theological standpoint, learning to be wise stewards of what we have fits in the general ethos of Houghton College.”