UWaterloo graduate student, research team improve building’s energy consumption by 15%

At the University of Waterloo, master’s student Monika Mikhail and university researchers worked together to improve the energy efficiency of an on-campus office building. The National Observer reports that the evolv1 building was designed to be an energy-efficiency showpiece that relied on minimal fossil fuels and contributed extra power to the electrical grid with its solar panels. Mikhail and university researchers worked to take the building a step further by commissioning the building’s heating equipment to reduce its energy consumption by 15%. Rather than beginning to heat the full building each day at 7 AM, the team staggered the heating schedule and began heating each floor at an earlier, off-peak time. “When the building is coming out of weekend mode, making sure that it’s starting up gradually reduces peak demand,” explained Mikhail, who added that “all of these tiny decisions” can add up to make a significant difference.