Kiwi students compete to save energy

Two student accommodation facilities at the Victoria University of Wellington have been pitted against each other in a competition to see which can save the most power compared to the previous year’s usage.

The contest has been initiated by Victoria University student Bethany Paterson, who led a similar project during her final year at Cashmere High School in Christchurch. In that instance, the school was able to save about $50,000 in energy costs over the course of a year.

This time around, the competition will encourage students from Weir House and Te Puni Village to think about their everyday energy use habits and thus illustrate the impact of even slight modifications in behaviour. According to Paterson, “It’s about developing a mindset around those little everyday decisions that have no significant impact on your day-to-day life but over time, and en masse, can result in massive energy and cost reductions.

“There are lots of things you can do,” she said. “Instead of boiling a litre of water to make a cup of tea, just boil what you need; turn lights off whenever you leave a room; cut back on daydreaming time in the shower; and open a window instead of using an extractor fan to get the steam out.”

The trimester-long competition will be sponsored by Meridian Energy, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, Lush and ecostore, all of which are providing a range of prizes. The money saved from the power reductions will be invested in university sustainability initiatives.