School Uses Online Energy Data to Motivate Students to Conserve
After this building energy management project was completed, a social network of students passionate about energy efficiency organized a challenge for the student body: Access its online energy data and help the school district save energy.
Participants
- End-user: Los Gatos - Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD), Los Gatos, CA
- Integrator: SeriousEnergy
- Meter Manufacturer: WattNode meters from Continental Control Systems
Challenge
- Provide real-time visibility into energy consumption
- Provide visibility into heating and cooling schedules
- Identify anomalous energy loads
- Provide an opportunity for students to participate in or track energy saving efforts
Solution
- At the District pffice, one SmartServer connects two WattNode meters installed on the main electrical panel, one monitoring the offices, the other monitoring classrooms.
- At Los Gatos High School, one SmartServer connects 14 WattNode meters installed on the two primary electrical panels. Eleven sub-meters monitor individual campus buildings, and three monitor miscellaneous loads, including stadium lights, a cooling tower, and athletic facilities.
- At Saratoga High School, two SmartServers connect 14 WattNode meters installed on two electrical panels. Twelve meters monitor individual campus building, and two monitor miscellaneous loads such as field lights and a boiler circuit.
- SeriousEnergy Manager software communicates to and receives meter data from the SmartServers, then analyzes the data, and publishes results to an online dashboard that can be accessed by students, teachers, and parents.
Key Benefits
- Monitors energy-use across the high schools and at the district office in real time
- Monitors energy-use on a per building basis, or more granularly depending on metering
- Identifies trends and anomalies in energy consumption
- Show how energy use converts into a carbon footprint
- Identifies opportunities and recommends actions to save energy and improve efficiencies immediately
- Incorporates utility tariff information into analysis for energy cost and savings forecasting