Nunemaker Center wins second annual Lights Out! competition

LAWRENCE — The faculty and staff in Nunemaker Center have won the second annual Lights Out! competition at the University of Kansas.

The six-week competition, which began in March, challenged the occupants to engage in energy-conserving behaviors. The faculty and staff turned off unnecessary lighting, made sure computers were in sleep mode or turned off, shut down office equipment at the end of days, kept doors and windows closed, replaced incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents and helped identify unoccupied hours when other major equipment could be turned off. Changes at Nunemaker resulted in savings results of 31 percent.

Lindley Hall and Smith Hall came in second and third, with savings results of 19.7 percent and 19.4 percent, respectively. In total, 14 buildings competed, saving an average of 9.2 percent. Their combined savings resulted in a 157,000-pound reduction of greenhouse gases, which is equivalent to the annual emissions from 8,000 gallons of gasoline or the amount of electricity used by 10.7 homes for a year.

This year the competition primarily took place in buildings used by departments within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The top three building staffs were recognized April 22 at the Sustainability Leadership Awards Recognition Event by the KU Center for Sustainability.

More information about the competition and the results can be found online.