Achievement

Following several months of research introductions, meetings, and presentations by faculty and invited lecturers, IGERT Trainees and Fellows began work on a community project: assessing the energy usage and areas where savings might be achieved at the University United Methodist Church near the UT campus. A tour and blueprints of the facilities have been reviewed. Teams will address several relevant energy issues:

1. Chiller operation / interface with vendor / age /efficiency, boilers - Estes, Powell, Charlton 2. Air handling / HVAC system, airflow in sanctuary - Tuttle, Upshaw, Cole 3. Building/blueprint analysis, window heat loss - Bourne, Rhodes 4. Lighting (efficiency, modernization), motion sensors - Toliyat, Sriprasad 5. Energy audit / circuit breaker issue / water consumption - Dahlberg, Fares An energy audit report and recommendations will be presented to UUMC board of directors and members responsible for enlisting the help of the IGERT Fellows and Associates.