UNLV Green Dorm

Intended Outcome:
•To provide a campus-wide awareness on the environmental, economic, and social benefits of living in a “Green Dorm”.
•To reduce the energy consumption of the UNLV dormitory buildings.

Rationale & Background:
During “Fresh(wo)men Connection” students can be exposed to the benefits of sustainable living by providing a student pamphlet with suggestions on how to create and live in a Green Dorm Room.
Encouraging a friendly floor-to-floor “Green Dorm” competition overseen by the Resident Hall Advisors and Campus Housing could result in increased camaraderie and a significant reduction in the dormitories energy use.

Metrics:
•Initial Cost for UNLV: $0
•Initial Cost for students: $292 / student ($584,000 for 2,000 students)*
•Annual Energy Savings: 1,470,500 KWh
•Cost of Saved Energy: $0.157 per KWh, paid by the students
($0 for UNLV)
•Simple Payback: 4 years and 2 months for each student
(Immediate for UNLV)
•Off-site water savings: YES, 10,661,125 gallons / year
•Off-site energy savings: YES, 69,297 KWh / year
* Initial Cost is the extra money paid to purchase Energy Star appliances for a dorm room, as opposed to typical dorm appliances.

Case Studies / Precedents:
•Oregon State Green Dorm Room Competition:
http://oregonstate.edu/uhds/current_students/energy
•Tulane Energy Star Showcase Dorm Room: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=higher_ed.bus_dormroom
•Pitzer College New Residence Hall-Highest LEED Rating (Gold) Ever Awarded: http://www.pitzer.edu/sustainability/07_res_hall_tour_brochure.pdf