Energy Efficiency Day 2019 is on Oct. 2
Energy efficiency activities and research are highlighted at Kennesaw State
KENNESAW, Ga. (Sep 30, 2019) — The Office of Research and the Office of Sustainability at Kennesaw State University have paired up to celebrate Energy Efficiency Day (#EEDay2019) with a full slate of events designed to highlight energy efficiency activities and research taking place at the university.
Examples of energy efficiency include switching to LED lighting or replacing outdated appliances with high-efficiency models; behavioral changes such as turning off lights and unplugging appliances when leaving the room; and adopting seasonally-appropriate temperature standards. These changes can result in lower utility bills for consumers and less pollution from power plants.
In addition to these practices, the Office of Sustainability has worked to grow energy literacy with its innovative energy dashboard, a web-based platform that allows students, faculty, and staff to view real-time and historical utility data for select buildings. Data from the dashboards can be used for academic research, as a teaching tool, or to track equipment and behavioral changes on building-level utility consumption.
The energy dashboard is a web-based platform that features real-time and historical utility day for select buildings.
KSU researchers are also exploring ways to address energy efficiency issues in the marketplace. For instance, undergraduate researcher Kara Heller, a computational and applied mathematics major with a statistics minor, is currently a corporate analysis intern at Cobb EMC before graduating in December. As part of Heller's internship, Cobb EMC wants to identify electric vehicle owners so the company can market its NiteFlex plan, a time-of-day plan that provides free electrical power between midnight and 6 a.m., to these customers.
Faculty mentor Susan Mathews Hardy (left) with undergraduate research Kara Heller at Cobb EMC.
With faculty mentor Susan Mathews Hardy, senior lecturer of statistics and analytics at KSU, Heller is using logistical regression to predict whether customers own electric cars. By shifting power usage to “off peak” times, less power may be needed at “peak times” which in turn prevents the need to bring additional higher cost power-generation facilities online to meet peak needs and saves the company money. Heller said this experience in undergraduate research is facilitating a win for the environment, a win for the company and a win for the customer.
To increase your energy literacy and to learn more about KSU’s efforts, check out these activities:
Energy Efficiency Research Showcase
Visit https://research.kennesaw.edu from Sept. 30 - Oct. 4 to get a snapshot of the energy efficiency research endeavors at KSU.
Energy Dashboard Tabling
Increase your energy literacy and explore KSU’s public energy dashboard by visiting the Science Laboratory / Clendenin Atrium on Oct. 2 from noon - 2 p.m.
Energy Efficiency Movie Nights
The Association of Energy Engineers Student Chapter is hosting a screening of “Energy on the Edge” on Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballrooms in Marietta.
The EcoOwls, OwlSwap, and the Geography Club are co-hosting a screening of “The Future of Energy: Lateral Power to the People” on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in room 1019, Social Sciences Building in Kennesaw. This screening is part of the Fall Sustainability Film Series.
