by Brianna Crandall — January 26, 2015—QA Graphics, provider of the award-winning Energy Efficiency Education Dashboards (EEED) used by organizations of all kinds, is helping Saint Michael’s College students learn about energy efficiency through an interactive interface.
QA Graphics developed an EEED for Saint Michael’s College to educate students on the sustainable initiatives in place. For the fourth straight year, St. Michael’s College was named in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges. About two years ago, the university began implementing an energy dashboard that distinguishes itself from more commonly used themes. St. Michael’s looked to QA Graphics to create a program that is not only educational but also stands out to students.
In regards to which EEED feature Heather Lynch, sustainability coordinator/associate director of facilities and her team found the most beneficial she answered, “The education aspect of the dashboard. It wasn’t your typical dashboard that just showed real time energy usage, but it allowed us to focus on why knowing energy usage was important, and had features that could explain to students what a kilowatt was. We also found the ability to make it our own incredibly enticing.”
The EEED interactive application is displayed on a touchscreen at the new Quad Commons student center and is also available online providing education about the sustainable initiatives in place. The dashboard allows students to monitor the campus’ real-time building performance and see how buildings compare to each other. The character “Knightly the Moose” was designed as an animated creature that “lives” in the Energy Dashboard.
“This dashboard is an easy way for prospective and current students to get a quick snapshot of the Sustainability Program on campus,” said Lynch. “Not only is it a helpful tool for our tour guides but also as a tool for our students, staff, and faculty to engage with their energy consumption on campus,” said Lynch.
Saint Michael’s College offers an online demo of the EEED to showcase its features. The college is continuing its sustainable efforts and is making the energy dashboard more accessible to anyone with a computer or smartphone.
In addition to this project, QA Graphics’ EEED solution is used by organizations of all types across North America.
QA Graphics is a leader in the building automation and green building industries, providing heating/ventilation/air-conditioning (HVAC) graphic development services, system graphics, floor plan graphics, and energy dashboards to help organizations educate occupants about building performance and sustainability. The company also provides marketing solutions such as interactive applications, three-dimensional (3D) design and animation, mobile app development, videos, and other multimedia.
