Thanks to a $137,455 grant from the state legislature students will be able to monitor their energy use when a renevated Morrison Residence Hall reopens in 2007.
The Energy Policy Council unanimously approved a Clean Technology Demonstration Grant recently for the Morrison Renovation project.
The residence hall will close at the end of the semester for renovations that will include the installation of a solar hot water system.
The project will include monitoring tools so that students can observe the effectiveness of the system.
“A student taking a shower won’t notice a difference, but the educational tools and monitoring tools will allow students to keep track of energy consumption,” said Robin Sinhababu, chairman of the Renewable Energy Special Projects committee.
As an incentive to cut energy consumption, residents in Morrison might compete to determine which floor can use the solar energy most effectively.
“The top three floors will be monitoring wings and competitions might be held to see who can cut their energy consumption the most,” said Charlie Anderson, student congress speaker and former RESPC chairman.
The committee was created in April 2003 after UNC students approved a $4 per semester increase in student fees to support a renewable energy campaign on campus.
The idea for the project originated in the summer of 2003 and has developed since then.
“It was important for the committee to make a proposal and since its hard to get into a construction project at the right point in the timeline, we were very fortunate to find Morrison,” said Liz Veazey, UNC alumna and former RESPC committee member.
The residence hall is also located in an ideal area of campus to harness solar energy.
“When the committee began looking for housing, Morrison was perfect. It has southern exposure, which is a requirement for solar energy, and is tall enough not to be effected by trees,” Anderson said.
The solar hot water system also will be funded by $184,000 from student fees and $125,000 from housing and residential education.
Sinhababu said the grant was significant because it was the first of its kind that the committee had seen to completion.
“This was a milestone for the RESPC and it shows that the state government has a lot of faith in what we will be able to accomplish,” he said.
He also said the project will have important consequences for the University in the future.
“The hot water system is cleaner than fossil fuels, and this project will pay for itself over a long period of time.”
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