UNC Chapel Hill Dorm in First Place In ENERGY STAR Competion

With about three months left to the national building completion sponsored by the EPA and ENERGY STAR, the Morrison Residence hall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is in the lead with over 19% reduction in energy usage. The dormitory building is part of the University of North Carolina, and houses 800 students. It was the leader on its campus in using solar panels, and it is the home of UNC’s Sustainability Living Learning Community.

Morrison Hall was built in 1965 and is a 10 story building housing 800 students and 50 support staff. In 2007 it was renovated with energy savings in mind, installing central air and heating to all rooms and solar panels for the production of hot water.

Companies like IDT Energy and many others are certainly interested in the creative ideas put forward by students like those at Chapel Hill.

Buildings Reducing Energy Consumption in Energy Star Contest

Different types of buildings have different energy needs and can therefore have radically different EUI numbers. For instance, a hospital which is full of equipment which is energy intensive will have a much higher EUI than an elementary school which only uses lights, heat, and other simple types of power for the people inside. So it is not surprising that a normal EUI for a hospital might be 470, while that for a school is only 169.

The ENERGY STAR competition will judge each building according to the percentage it reduces energy consumption over the course of the contest, and not the total amount of energy usage actually reduced.