Universities & Energy Conservation

Real-time electricity data monitoring

Software from LucidDesignGroup

IRIS and elucidate software "captures, processes, and archives" data and "translates these data into compelling interactive graphics" (i.e. displays real-time utility usage), respectively.

-->This is what Oberlin used for their energy competition website (http://www.oberlin.edu/dormenergy, see, for example, realtime data for Harkness Hall), as well as for the amazing Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies (with its also-amazing website).

--> Update: according to the [www.oberlin.edu/faculty/petersen/P3CompletePetersen.pdf|completed application for Oberlin's EPA P3 Award - Phase II] grant (Principal Investigator: professor John Petersen, the energy competition advisor), Lucid Design Group is owned and was founded by former Oberlin students. The IRIS software was developed for the competition: "Lucid Design Group (LDG) will function both as a contractor – developing IRIS™ software for the server – and as a partner – providing approximately $10,000 in Elucidate data display software and pro bono technical support on the project" (p. 32).

-->Price Oberlin paid: $17,000 for the IRIS software, plus $1,050 to fly up & house a LDG technician (one of the Oberlin grads) three times for installation. Lucid Design Group gave an in-kind donation of the elucidate software, listed as having a Market Price of $6,000, along with "Consulting and technical services - 40 hours @ $100/hour", for a total of $10,000.

-->...look into getting for UR? ... uh, probably not at that price tag, but who knows... plus, we might not need IRIS since it seems we already have the data-logging & archiving stuff set up.

The Energy Detective

A ($140) device that displays electricity usage & cost data in real time to residential customers.