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Energy Conservation in NUIG - Is there any?

  • 09-11-2013 4:49pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 484 ✭✭


    Hey guys! I am actually a U.L student and as part of a FYP were doing a little bit of market research on campus Energy Conservation.

    Were also comparing how it is viewed in the different colleges (Cork,Limerick,Dublin and Galway) and seeing if its viewed differently or is there behavior differences between them!

    So in general what would be your view on campus Energy Conservation at NUIG? Is it something that any of you guys personally pay any attention to ? Is there anything that the University has done that has or has not worked in the past?

    If you have a minute feel free to fly through our short survey as well - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/793KB3N

    We have only had a few responses from NUIG goers and could do with some more to get realistic results!

    I will be sure to share any results or findings of interest aswell!


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭joeKel73


    Well in the last couple of years they have been replacing all the single-glazing with double glazing and replacing the outdoor lighting with LED lights.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 279 ✭✭Captain Morgan Freeman


    I remember a lecturer in one of our courses telling us how the college had 3 generators running to provide power to the college. A few years ago they installed double glazing into the concourse(the main building in the college). The amount of energy they saved from that alone meant they had to get rid of one of the generators as they saved so much energy. Hope that helps in some way!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,380 ✭✭✭TheCosmicFrog


    The new Engineering Building also has a Combined Heat and Power Unit fuelled by wood chips.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 484 ✭✭happydayz182


    Thanks for the replies guys!

    Would these kind of improvements being made actually be promoted by the college or be known about in general?

    Have any of you come across signs of clear wastage? One Limerick student pointed out their annoyance when coming across a room full of powered on computers - locked - at night time. Other staff members have been known to leave their heaters on all night so the office is warm in the morning!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,034 ✭✭✭Ficheall


    I recall walking down the concourse this summer when it was roasting outside, only to brush up against a radiator and find that it was lepping hot.

    I don't know if it counts as wastage, but some of the newer buildings have "intelligent windows" etc, which don't allow you to open windows as needed, but rather have a computer decide when the students need to be able to breathe.

    In fact, the new "postgrad research hub" has quadruply glazed windows which one can't open - or rather, you can open the inside set of windows to access the blinds, but the outside set of "windows" can't actually open at all. Ventilation seems to be provided by vents in the floor. Tenner says someone passes out from the heat in there by May!


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,184 ✭✭✭✭Lapin


    Well there's a chap in the library doing his best to conserve energy right now.

    If he snores any louder someone is going to have to wake him up.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭snubbleste


    a simple google search
    http://www.nuigalway.ie/buildings/energy.html
    http://www.nuigalway.ie/environment/

    Most general lights switch off when movement is not detected. Less water being used in toilet flushes


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭joeKel73


    The new Engineering Building also has a Combined Heat and Power Unit fuelled by wood chips.

    New buildings such as the Engineering Building, Nurses Library, Kingfisher have an integrated Building Energy Management System (BEMS) which monitors and controls the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system and monitors energy use with the intention of identifying inefficiencies and wastage.

    The climate wall of the new engineering works great for passive heating and ventilation. More other green credentials of the building here;
    http://www.nuigalway.ie/new-engineering-building/greencredentials/


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 484 ✭✭happydayz182


    Very interesting. We have something similiar here in UL. Is that monitoring system publicized or promoted at all in NUIG? Would the average student even know about it?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭joeKel73


    No to be honest most of the data has just been flowing into a database. There is a BEMS control interface but only a handful of people have access. After one year the engineering building database had over 100million rows of data, coming from over 2000 sensors.

    There has been an effort though to start using the data and allow it to be used as a learning tool. As part of that I was involved in moving some of the data to a web accessible database and I created a converter to extract the building geometry from the building information model (BIM) and link it to the BEMS to create a 3D visualisation of the data.

    I used a section of one floor for the demo. See here;
    http://www.bemsaa.com/demo
    (best viewed in Chrome and allow floor layout files to load)

    Or video of demo: http://vimeo.com/49618453

    There was more work done on visualisation since and not sure what's been happening with making the data more accessible, I haven't been involved in over a year.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭takamichinoku


    The engineering building's got a whole heap of different things in it, looks like that's all been covered already.

    Em, most rooms seem to have setting for the lights to go off after some sort of period of inactivity. Unsure if they're using timers or censors, maybe a mix, there's a few hallways that if you walk through when the lights are off at night will completely light up as you walk through.


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