New Technology Monitors Energy Use at Bunker Hill Community College

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Mar 09, 2012, 04:24 ET

BOSTON, March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 at www.bhcc.mass.edu/sustainability.

PRESS CONTACT INFORMATION:
Colleen Roach
Executive Director of Communications & Marketing
Bunker Hill Community College
250 New Rutherford Avenue; Boston, MA 02129
Phone: (617) 228 2177; Email: [email protected]

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls approximately 13,500 students on two campuses and at four satellite locations. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Six in ten students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls 780 international students who come from more than 90 countries and speak 75 different languages.

SOURCE Bunker Hill Community College