Centennial Village residents reduced their energy usage by 7.17% in March 2026 compared to March 2025, securing their victory in this year’s UConserve competition.
UConserve is an energy and water conservation competition organized by ECO Reps, a committee under The University of Miami’s Student Government’s ECO Agency. The competition between residence halls ran from March 1 to 31, where students could participate by logging their sustainable actions in the GetGreen app.
Following Centennial in first, UV fell from first place in 2025 to second place this year, reducing its energy usage by 6.95%. Eaton came in third with a 4.44% reduction, followed by Lakeside Village with a 3.94% decrease. Mahoney-Pearson finished last, increasing its usage by 2.29%.
Tips to reduce energy and water use included setting the thermostat to 74, using cold water for laundry, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and closing curtains when the apartment is empty.
In the GetGreen app, students earn “leaves” for their individual sustainable actions while contributing to their residence hall’s sustainability goal. Depending on how many leaves an individual earns, they can win prizes like an eco-friendly tote bag or a hydroponic garden.
In total, the residence halls decreased energy usage by about 70,000kWh. This energy is equivalent to the annual electricity usage of seven homes or about 192 miles in an electric car, according to a post on Green U’s Instagram.
Although the “number of residents [did] not impact scores,” not all of the residence halls on campus are created equal.
According to Hallmark Homes Group, older buildings tend to be less energy-efficient than new ones, largely because of outdated heating and cooling systems. In addition, Lakeside and UV are also the only residence halls with kitchens in each apartment and in-unit laundry machines in some.
The University has not yet responded to The Hurricane’s questions about how the competition accounted for these differences.
As the winners, Centennial residents can expect free Dunkin’ Donuts in their lobby. More details are available on @sgecoagency’s Instagram page.