PHILADELPHIA – Students of Harrison College House have won a third successive Penn Energy Showdown, a University of Pennsylvania campus energy efficiency competition organized by Penn’s Fels Institute of Government.

The Penn Energy Showdown is designed to reduce energy consumption in campus dormitories, while increasing student awareness about how small behavioral changes can impact energy use.

The competition, held April 8-21pitted students from Harrison and Rodin College houses against one another to determine which dorm could reduce overall energy usage the most.  Both houses saved 10,528 watt-hours, enough to drive an electric car around the earth twice.

Harrison residents won the competition by reducing energy consumption by a record 7.1 percent.  Students from Rodin reduced energy consumption during the competition by 5 percent.

In November 2009, based on a proposal by graduate student Mateo Rando, the Fels Institute of Government was awarded a Penn Green Fund grant to administer the campus energy competition for three semesters. 

Additional information about the Penn Energy Showdown is available at http://www.fels.upenn.edu/penn-energy-showdown.