N.C. State is beginning its research campaign to conserve energy through campus-wide projects and experiments, according to Bobby Mills, student body president.

“N.C. State wants to be a leader in the new technology of the future,” Mills said. “It will be kind of where [the state of N.C.] economy is going into fuel.”

Mills said he felt controlling energy is one of the most important issues of today’s students.

“The next great leap in this country will be the energy,” Mills said. “N.C. State is trying to be a leader not in the state or the country, but in the world [with energy conservation].”

According to Mills, the University is initiating a number of projects to help conserve energy, including a quad energy competition.

In the contest, which continues through the end of the fall semester, Becton, Barry and Bagwell Residence Halls, monitor the environmental impact of the energy used every day in the halls.

The residence hall utilizing the least amount of energy wins a prize.

Mills said he felt the competition was not about the prize. Instead, he said the contest was a “way to measure energy on campus.”

According to Mills, he and a number of faculty, staff and administrators met with Chancellor James Oblinger Monday to discuss proposals of how the University can continue to grow in saving energy levels on campus.

Some students have already taken an initiative in making an impact in the community’s energy levels.

Five seniors in environmental design in architecture, Emily Axtman, Katelyn Baird, Maria Hill, Will Lambeth and Josh Wheeler, arrived in Chicago today to present their award-winning home design in the national Greenbuild competition.

Last week, a house officially completed construction in Durham using the students’ design.

“Basically, with their design elements, they included 50 percent more energy efficient than a conventional house,” David Beck, policy director of Self-Help, one of the sponsoring organizations of the competition and construction of the house, said.

One of the main goals of Self-Help is to help low income families be able to afford monthly energy bills, but also to help the entire community, according to Beck.

“For us [Self-Help], it’s important to our homeowners to lower their utility bills and then obviously for everyone the less energy we can use, the more efficient we can be and the better stewards we can be for the environment,” Beck said.

A water efficient system, including a water tank and a water heater, a thermal floor and thick foam walls for installation are part of the house’s design to save energy.

Also, the student group designed the placement of the house on the site to “keep the heat in and cool out in the winter and the reverse in the summer,” according to Beck.

“We think the students came up with a creative model,” Beck said. “It’s great for them to see it put together and come to life. It’s not an abstract project.”

Beck said he hopes to keep the design for future houses in the Raleigh area.

For some students, being environmentally friendly is part of their majors.

Petr Kasal, senior in environmental design architecture, said being environmentally conscious was always important to him, but he also realized the social impact energy conservation and awareness of building materials can have on the world community.

“There is a marriage between what we believe should be in the environment and the trends of architecture today,” Kasal said.