“Green” Residence Hall puts energy conservation first
Pella, Iowa - When Central College decided to develop an “Eco-Dorm” that is poised to become the first LEED® certified residential facility in the state of Iowa, they knew they needed a way to not only teach the residents about energy conservation but to also motivate them to take action.
Central College found the solution through the development of a GreenTouchscreen® educational and interactive website. The website is displayed as the home page for the computers in the PODS computer lab and its screens are displayed on a 37 inch LCD display located in the residence hall’s gathering space.
In addition to containing pictures and information about the residence hall, the GreenTouchscreen® displays the current and historical amount of electricity used by each room and then automatically recognizes the room using the least electricity for the week as part of an ongoing energy saving competition. A green features page displays a solar hot water heating and solar power animation both of which contain real time data so residents can see how those systems are working for their benefit. Lastly, the GreenTouchscreen® contains a resident training video as well as information about recycling and cleaning requirements.
“By constantly having their energy consumption displayed on the GreenTouchscreen®, our students are developing a new awareness of how their habits impact the environment. It also invokes a sense of energy competitiveness between the students that live there. Having the website available to the rest of the campus (and the world) sends a message of “we care” in the sense of environmental stewardship.” said Mike Lubberden, Director, Construction and Energy Management, Central College.
