Software firm prepares to showcase energy efficiency systems at MAREC

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Reston, Virginia-based ObjectVideo says smart technology can save businesses a lot of money by reducing electricity consumption with new counting software known as Event Counting.

In an effort to demonstrate those efficiencies, ObjectVideo's Grand Rapids office has teamed up with GVSU's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) to create a real-time lab and showcase.

Though that lab is still under construction, Bruce Thompson, ObjectVideo's Michigan representative, is excited about the possibilities for dramatically improving any business's energy efficiency.

"If you think of buildings today, they're responsible for 43 percent of the CO2 emissions and consume about 70 percent of the daily electricity in the US," Thompson says. "How do you tackle that from cost and sustainable perspectives? Lighting in a typical office building is 30 percent of the energy use, so just turning things off is a huge part of the equation."

Existing technology is pre-programmed to heat, cool, and light a room for a predetermined number of people at a predetermined time. Therefore, it's set for 20 people for two hours, but only three people show up for 15 minutes.

ObjectVideo counts how many people enter, leave, and stay in a room, and how long they stay, and adjusts lighting, heating, or cooling systems accordingly.

"Our system can interface with any kind of building system like HVAC, systems that schedule rooms, emergency management systems," Thompson says.

The MAREC lab is a partnership with office furniture manufacturers, technology manufacturers, lighting manufacturers, and others to create real-work environments using smart technology to reduce energy consumption. The lab will be open early 2008.

Source: Bruce Thompson, ObjectVideo, Inc.

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