Energywi$e UM
Overview
Energywi$e UM is a pilot effort between the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Management, and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. The University’s Climate Action Plan calls for the campus to reduce electricity consumption by 5 percent through behavior modification strategies in buildings and Governor O’Malley’s EmPOWER Maryland Initiative requires state government to reduce energy consumption 15 percent by 2015.
Energywi$e UM aims to reduce campus energy use by including building occupants in energy conservation efforts. While energy conservation initiatives are not new to our campus, Energywi$e UM brings a fresh approach, by providing building occupants with periodic data about their building’s energy use as well as targeted and fun conservation challenges that students, faculty, and staff members can easily work into their daily routines.
How It Works
Three campus buildings and 15 fraternity and sorority houses are participating in Energywi$e UM. During the fall semester, the Office of Sustainability Energywi$e UM team will be working with building occupants to reduce their energy consumption. Each week, building occupants will receive a building energy "report" which summarizes:
- Energy used last week – in kWh, $, and pounds CO2
- Whether the building’s energy usage increased or decreased over the prior week
- Progress over the course of the pilot – is the building decreasing energy usage week by week (and saving $ and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions)?
- A new "assignment" – weekly tips for occupant energy conservation (simple things like turning off lights, enabling power management settings on computers, working with the building’s heating/cooling system to conserve energy)
To see a sample building energy report, click here.
Participating Buildings (this section is under construction)
Chesapeake Building
- Year Constructed: 1991
- Total Gross Square Footage (GSF): 52,555
- Total Net Assignable Square Footage (NASF): 39,383
The Chesapeake Building houses a number of important administrative functions - Human Resources, Procurement, the Office of the Comptroller, and the Department of Environmental Safety. Unlike many campus buildings that are heated (and in some cases cooled) by the campus combined heat and power plant, the Chesapeake Building is powered entirely by electricity.
Glen L. Martin Hall
- Year Constructed: 1950 (Renovated in 1980)
- Total GSF: 158,843
- Total NASF: 88,051
Martin Hall houses the Departments of Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, and Distance Education Technology and Services (DETS) within the A. James Clark School of Engineering. The building includes classrooms, labs, and faculty and administrative offices. It also houses student club offices and the E+M Deli, Coffee Shop, and Taco Bell® Express.
Van Munching Hall
- Year Constructed: 1992
- Total GSF: 283,990
- Total NASF: 153,430
Van Munching Hall houses the Smith School of Business and the School of Public Policy. The building includes classrooms, computer labs, and faculty and administrative offices. It also houses student meeting rooms, executive education facilities, and Rudy’s Café (Dining Services).
Fraternities and Sororities
The Office of Sustainability is working with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life on an energy conservation competition called the Green Greek Challenge. For eight weeks this fall, students living in each of the 14 houses on Frat Row will receive a weekly energy report from the Energywi$e team. Off-campus chapters may also participate. The house that shows the biggest improvement on their own electricity consumption will win the Greek Greek Challenge and the first Greek Green Cup.