Hoque Co-PI in $1M NSF grant to study intelligent building systems

Hoque Co-PI in $1M NSF grant to study intelligent building systems

Together with Co-PIs Prashant Shenoy in Computer Science and David Irwin in Electrical and Computer Engineering, BCT faculty member Simi Hoque has received a three-year, $1M grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to work with Holyoke Gas & Electric Co. (HG&E) to develop smart energy services that will improve grid efficiency, encourage energy conservation and promote local renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar. This grant was awarded through Utility Driven Smart Energy Services and will be used to design more intelligent technologies and systems for buildings. Hoque and her students will be studying building occupants' behavior to understand how they interact with energy-using equipment in their homes in order to design systems and incentives that motivate energy awareness and energy conserving behavior. Link: http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-amherst-researchers-receive-1...
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UMass Extension Inaugurates New Program in Energy

The UMass Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE) recently showcased BCT faculty member Ben Weil's efforts with the Massachusetts Energy Extension Initiative (MAEEI), a program funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. You can read more about it here: http://ag.umass.edu/news-events/highlights/umass-extension-inaugurates-new-program-in-energy  ...
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BCT students involved in energy assessment of local food co-op

Together with BCT faculty member Ben Weil, several energy auditing BCT students participated in the project mentioned below. They conducted a thermographic scan and pressure test of the building and will be calibrating an energy model to allow the co-op to size a heating system that will primarily use waste heat from the refrigerators and the freezers. QUABBIN HARVEST ZERO NET ENERGY BUILDING GRANT February 25, 2015 The Massachusetts Pathways to Zero grant program of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has approved the application from the North Quabbin Community Food Coop for funding a Zero Net Energy Design.  Quabbin Harvest, a community based grocery store is, by nature, an energy intensive operation.  A zero net energy building is very energy efficient produces what little energy it does consume through on-site renewable energy (over the course of a year). The task is to find ways to operate both the building and the store without any extra energy that would normally be required from traditional sources. "Massachusetts is supporting...
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The BCT Team at Next Step Living

The BCT Team at Next Step Living

We love hearing about our successful BCT alumni. It is especially exciting when several of them work at the same company. That's why this picture, which Bob Hastings (the guy in the center) just sent through is so cool! Our five BCT alumni at Next Step Living are Edison Dika, Nick Celularo, Bob Hastings, Chris Kennedy, and Andy Truong. Not pictured is Chris Haringa. About the company: Next Step Living is a one-stop resource for informed advice, expert workmanship and guidance about available incentives and rebates, Next Step Living partners with more than 400 municipalities, civic organizations and leading corporations to deliver energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions. Those solutions include: Home energy evaluations Weatherization work (air sealing and insulation) Roofing and windows Heating and cooling (ductless mini splits, HVAC systems) Solar panel installation Named to the Inc. 500 list of fast-growing companies, the 2014 Global Cleantech 100 and recognized by the New England Clean Energy Council as an employer of the year, Next Step Living has more than 800 employees in Massachusetts and...
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