Client: Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation -

Madison, WI

Project:
Headquarters Building

Completion Date:
August, 2007
View Press Release

Summary:
Quality Attributes Software developed a valuable system for the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation to educate their customers and visitors about their LEED® certified facility and the many benefits to building ‘green’. WECC’s mission to educate by example is now complete with their GreenTouchscreen®. It has not only met, but exceeded all the original goals set forth at the beginning of the project.

The Problem Defined (Business Situation):
Since 1980, the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC) has been creating and implementing energy savings programs for a wide variety of clients – utilities, municipalities, regulatory commissions, weatherization providers, and consumer and environmental groups in the United States and Canada. They have worked hard to aid customers in reducing the environmental impacts of energy use and to promote economic development in their communities. WECC believed that the best way to achieve their mission was to become an example in energy efficiency by building a LEED® certified, environmentally friendly building. Just building the facility wasn’t enough though; they needed a way to educate customers about the new building. They wanted an innovative, fun way to inform clients about renewable energy, the facility, and the benefits of building ‘green’.

Solution Expectations: (Major Goals):

• Educate customers, employees and visitors about the overall sustainability of the building.
• Provide quick, inherent display of current energy use situation.
• Inform customers, employees and visitors about how they can play a role in conservation and sustainability.
• Assist in the marketing of WECC.
• Impress users

The solution: (Solution):
Quality Attributes Software developed a customized interactive, web-based GreenTouchscreen® kiosk for WECC to visually educate clients and the public about their high efficient building and to share their experience of building ‘green’. This system allows users to access the GreenTouchscreen® at the headquarters facility with their physical touchscreen kiosk or from anywhere via the internet. The system includes several information pages describing the processes of building ‘green’, presenting an overview of LEED® and the USGBC, providing details about the building’s energy saving systems, and much more. Also developed for the GreenTouchscreen® was a Green Features Map, live energy monitoring gauges, historical trending graphs, and a Photovoltaic (PV) system animation.

Solution Benefits: (Benefits)
The Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation has received many benefits from their GreenTouchscreen®. Besides the friendly, inviting interface and fun animation, this system has created an educational kiosk for all ages. The Green Features Map shows the hidden features of the building people would not know about otherwise. The energy monitoring page actually shows users how much electricity and natural gas the building is using and has used in the past compared to a typical building. The PV system animation creates a compelling way to follow the process of energy production from sunlight. All of these features create a fun, interactive learning environment that excites users about energy conservation and the efforts WECC has put forth.Providing an interactive way to learn about the high efficient facility and energy conservation has become a great tool for WECC in the pursuit of ‘green’ education. Not only does it serve as an education tool, but provides an exciting marketing tool that captures attention and impresses users.