New Technology Monitors Energy Use at Bunker Hill Community College
Friday, March 9, 2012
Bunker Hill Community College has installed a state-of-the art “building dashboard” in the lobby of its LEED Gold-certified Health & Wellness Center. Resembling a large flat-screen television, the device monitors the building’s energy usage in real time and presents the results in a series of colorful, interactive charts and graphs. BHCC is the only community college in Massachusetts and one of only six nationwide to have adopted this innovative technology pioneered by Lucid Technologies.
This dashboard effectively identifies usage trends and periods of high consumption. In addition, it provides a mechanism to compare the impact of conservation measures such as energy-efficient light bulbs and fixtures, classroom occupancy sensors, and variable-speed drives on heating and cooling equipment. The device also features a user-friendly tool bar with links to a virtual tour of the Health & Wellness Center, with its many energy-saving features, and to green tips, sustainability-related games and videos.
The College dashboard was launched at the first Northeast Regional Collaborative Symposium of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, held at Bunker Hill Community College, November 3- 4, 2011. The dashboard will be utilized by faculty for student learning activities related to sustainability, resource conservation and climate action planning. The instrument will also serve as a way for members of the College community to make personal sustainability commitments that will appear on their Facebook pages, thus opening discussions about saving energy with their social networks. Plans are also under way to create a mobile app for smart phones that allow staff, faculty and students to scan QR (Quick Response) codes to learn more about green building features found in the Health & Wellness Center and about energy usage on the campus. The public can access the dashboard by clicking the “Online Building Dashboard” button on the website.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).