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Energy Dashboard Project (Ongoing)

Recent Project Updates

  • 6/21/2024

    Please see the included link to the live dashboard of the Energy Farms Agrivoltaic Solar Array. This link also includes data for the Geothermal and traditional HVAC at the farm.

  • 10/12/2023

    Currently, 70 of the first 80 building dashboards are complete, which represents 92% of the University's energy consumption. Many of the dashboards are visible on building video displays for all building occupants to view.

Key Objective

Description

*The project is ongoing, and data are still being vetted.*

An Energy Dashboard provides clearly visible understandable information data and information to students, faculty, and staff in a University building.  By understanding energy demand in their space (electrical, chilled water, and steam) building occupants can make educated choices about their behavior that can impact energy consumption and conservation. The biggest challenge in successfully creating a campus-wide goal of energy reduction is being able to evoke a behavioral change resulting in energy conservation and sustainability efforts. This project aims to achieve such a change by showing energy consumers at the University how they're consuming energy in a clear way.

 

Background

In 2011 the Student Sustainability Committee accepted a proposal from the Environmental Change Institute to implement Energy Dashboards on campus.  The ECI contacts worked with Facilities & Services to implement an energy dashboard that used the same basic database that the energy data historian uses for tracking and recording campus energy use, and it went live in December 2011.  A slide deck with example images is available through the history of this project.

In 2013 Facilities & Services partnered with the new Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment to start a Sustainability Fellows program for research that contributes to the campus as a living laboratory.  One of the initial research projects was funded by F&S Utilities & Energy Services to have Professor Madhu Viswanathan and his students in the College of Business identify recommended improvements for the Energy Dashboard system. The student report is available through the history of this project. An additional student team also made recommendations for edits to the educational content on the dashboard website.

From 2015 to 2019, the iCAP Energy Team(s) and the F&S Utilities and Energy Services Business Operations office collaborated and developed a simple HTML5 energy dashboard that could be implemented throughout campus where there are real-time energy meters installed.  The SSC had supported installation of additional real-time energy meters in several buildings throughout campus, and this simple dashboard system was rolled out for several buildings. An example from the Business Instructional Facility shows the impact of the "stay-home order" from the first week of covid pandemic.

In 2021, SSC, ECE, and F&S partnered to develop a new energy dashboard system that could better reflect the Net-Zero Energy status of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building. This is the system that is now available online for several campus facilities. The older systems are no longer available.

No description has been provided yet.

Project Team

  • Primary Contact:

    Rob Roman

    Project Leader:

    Rob Roman

    Team Members:

    • Morgan White
    • Aaron Mason, Hawkeye Energy Solutions
    • Joyce Mast, ECE
    • Catherine Somers, ECE

    Prior Contacts:

    • Suharsh Sivakumar
    • Kevin Wolz
    • Joel Steinfledt (Swanlund)
    • Cathy Blake (Faculty)
    • Brian Deal (Faculty)
    • Jackie Kern
    • Andy Blacker
    • Kent Reifsteck
    • Mike Marquissee
    • Karen Decker (ECI)
    • Wes Jarrell (ECI)

Themes