The University of Minnesota-Crookston is on track to cut its electricity consumption by 17 percent after campus members teamed up with the Otter Tail Power Company to reduce the university's environmental impact.
The results of the Campus Energy Challenge were announced Tuesday, detailing how the university has worked to cut its electricity use by encouraging behavior changes like turning off lights while also installing more energy-efficient lighting and ventilation.
In 2010, UMC achieved a 7 to 8 percent kilowatt-hour savings. After all changes have been in place for a full year and if results are adjusted for changes in weather, the university is on track to see a 17-percent reduction.
Kim Pederson, Otter Tail Power Company market planning manager, said in a written statement that the initiative originally called for a 10 to 15 percent cut to electricity use.
"What they've accomplished so far was more than we imagined possible, but the hard work is still in front of them as they strike out on their own to sustain these savings," Pederson wrote.
