Energy GPA

Energy GPA was a student-run program created from a student, faculty and staff collaboration to reduce carbon emissions from residential energy use. The Energy GPA Program was operated by the Campus Energy Team out of the Hanley Sustainability Institute. Each month, the team compiled electricity and gas data for each house in the student neighborhood. At the University of Dayton, utility costs are wrapped into total housing cost, so the mission of this program was to let students know how much energy they have used in a month as well as how much is “normal” to use in that specific month. The monthly Energy GPA Program results are regularly posted to the Energy GPA Dashboard for students to view their own grades along with their neighbors’ grades.

This program paved the way to present actionable ways students can decrease the amount of energy they use so in return they are better prepared to save energy at UD now and in the future when they pay for their energy use in their own homes.

UD has committed to decreasing its energy consumption as a way to decrease carbon emissions, and a large part of campus energy usage is in residential living. We all want to feel comfortable in our homes, but sometimes we tend to overconsume energy without thinking about it! This program is to help our students become aware of their energy usage, so we can combat the ongoing climate crisis together and be good stewards of the environment.