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Student Energy Audits of Buildings Can Be Done!

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Conference

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Tampa, Florida

Publication Date

June 15, 2019

Start Date

June 15, 2019

End Date

June 19, 2019

Conference Session

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session 3

Tagged Division

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--33292

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/33292

Download Count

527

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Paper Authors

biography

Victoria A. Scala United States Military Academy

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Dr. Victoria Scala, PE is an Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department. Her current research is in the field of building performance modeling and measurement. Previously, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Manhattan College and an Adjunct Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology as well as Project Engineer with Lowy & Donnath, Inc. of Long Island City, New York. She holds an EIT certificate in the State of New York, is a LEED Green Associate, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers where she has served as an Assistant Mentor for ASCE’s ExCEEd. Dr. Scala earned her PhD in Civil Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and her MS and BS in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College. She can be contacted at Victoria.Scala@westpoint.edu.

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biography

James Ledlie Klosky P.E. United States Military Academy

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Led Klosky is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point and a past winner of ASEE's National Teaching Medal. He is a licensed professional engineer and the Dean's Executive Agent for Design and Construction at West Point. Led's work is primarily in the areas of infrastructure, subsurface engineering and engineering education.

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Abstract

Energy conservation and sustainability are at the forefront of engineering today. It is imperative to lead in this effort by showing the next generation of engineers on how they can have an effect on saving our energy and resources, especially through the process of discovery, which leads to genuine learning (Adler, 1982). Luckily, it is easy to demonstrate energy conservation in real environments for hands on learning, even right on campus! In the course Green Facilities Management, student groups performed energy audits of two buildings on campus over time, one from 1948 and the other from 2014. First learning about energy sources and then exploring the actual energy bill, the student then dug into the creation of green buildings, management of renewable energy sources, and life cycle costing. This was supplemented by a key hands-on portion: building inspection, including wall and roof material, insulation levels, window and door sizes, leaks, lighting and appliance loads. Occupant interviews were used to determine hours of operations and uses, and heating and cooling loads were calculated using real-world sources, like heat given off by people, solar radiation, conduction, and ancillary heat gain. Students then analyzed Energy Management Opportunities (EMOs), Green Energy Opportunities (GEOs) and life cycle costs and stated their prioritized recommendations, including an evaluation of installed and possible future green measures. Finally during an oral presentation, the buildings, EMOs and GEOs were compared. Results were assessed by student feedback and project quality. Students appreciated the realistic project and being able to look at the energy efficiency and economics of sustainability. Projects were assessed and 78% of the class had a B+ or higher on the project, exceeding expectations. The oral presentation had similar results.

Scala, V. A., & Klosky, J. L. (2019, June), Student Energy Audits of Buildings Can Be Done! Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33292

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