EAGER: Scalable Energy Monitoring and Visualization in a Living Building
The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is encouraging programs that assist in the development of “greener” buildings that are also architecturally interesting. The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is a building certification program, administered by the ILFI, which measures sustainability. Williams College is pursuing the LBC as part of the Kellogg House renovation project. The Kellogg House was originally built in 1794, and upon completion of the renovation project, it will be the first historic building in the country to achieve LBC certification with “net-zero” energy usage.
This grant supports instrumenting the house with sensors and devices that accurately monitor and display energy consumption and generation. This instrumentation is crucial for measuring energy usage and guiding occupant behavior. The main contribution of this project, therefore, will be the development of a scalable and robust sensing infrastructure that may serve as a model for future LBC participants. The energy usage data that is collected from the building will be anonymized and made publicly available. These data will facilitate future research in sustainability worldwide. Once completed, the Kellogg House will serve as a learning laboratory, teaching occupants to lead more sustainable lives even beyond the confines of the house.