SLU tracks energy usage

CANTON — Electricity no longer is measured solely in kilowatts at St. Lawrence University. Now, it can be measured in laptops, compact fluorescent light bulbs and even hamburgers.

The measurements are part of an effort to get students, faculty and staff to think about how much electricity they use. Measurements can be tracked by anyone with an Internet connection.

"I think they can process information better than if they just heard kilowatt hours," said freshman Alison L. Walters, secretary of the Environmental Action Organization. "My goal is to educate the student body about their energy usage and use it as a way to encourage people to reduce their energy use."

The program is part of a service called Building Dashboard, which tracks real-time energy and water use for organizations. Right now, SLU only tracks energy use via monitors attached to each building.

People can see how much electricity is being used in any building at any time and compare it with recent energy usage in that building or another. For example, more than 4,400 laptops could run for an hour on the electricity the library used at noon Monday, an increase of 8 percent compared with noon Sunday.

The information will be used to start competitions among residence halls to see which building can reduce its consumption the most. Though competitions might not foster lasting changes in habits, they might be a starting point, according to Louise E. Gava, the college's sustainability coordinator.

"We can, in real time, make behavior decisions based on energy use decisions," Ms. Gava said. "The more instant the feedback you're given, the more likely that you'll be able to respond in a way that is useful."

The 74 electricity monitors involved in the project cost at least $1,000 each, Ms. Gava said. The purchase was made using leftover funds that had been allocated to a three-year project to update the university's electrical wiring.

ON THE NET

Building Design Group: www.buildingdashboard.com/clients/stlawrence