STORRS, Conn. -- A competition between dorms at the University of Connecticut campus has led to a reduction in the energy consumed on campus.

The Eco-Madness contest, which pitted dorms head-to-head, recently wrapped up and is already being hailed as a big success.

The winning group, the Sherman Webster team from Towers, cut its energy use by 28 percent. The average dorm cut about 10 percent of its energy consumption.

Dana Lovallo, one of the dormitories' eco-captains, told Eyewitness News that students made simple changes like turning off lights and taking shorter showers.

"I found that the lights were actually being turned off, people were taking shorter showers. It was a bigger turnout than I originally thought," Lovallo said.

Jordan Thomas' dorm won the water consumption portion of the challenge, cutting usage by nearly 10 percent.

"They saw that we were in second after the first two weeks or so, so they got totally motivated to participate, and they were psyched when we won," Thomas said.

The winners of the challenge were rewarded with ice cream, but students said they think it was more than the promise of frozen treats that motivated them.

"I think this is the generation where we want to do something about the environment," said Lovallo. "In the 60s and 70s it was the younger generation, so I think we're definitely the generation that wants to make a change."

While the program won't return to the campus until next fall, students said that some of the lessons seemed to have stuck.

"I noticed that the lights are being turned off. I'm actually surprised that people are continuing to turn off the lights," Lovallo said. "I think it's now habit, which is nice."