Students conduct energy audit of Neeley Hall for national contest

Members of the Texas A&M student chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association conducted an energy audit of Neeley Hall, a campus dormitory, as part of their competition entry in the NECA's annual 2011 Green Energy Challenge.

After examining the facility's power and lighting systems, the student team designed a preliminary energy-efficient retrofit that included a new solar energy generation system.

Their audit and recommendations were submitted to the NECA competition, which challenged students to identify and submit a proposal for a campus building in need of an energy efficiency overhaul.

According to the Aggie NECA team adviser Kim Carlson, a senior lecturer in the Department of Construction Science, Neeley Hall was selected after students consulted with Charlie Shear, energy coordinator for Texas A&M's Utilities Energy Office.

Competition finalists, selected from proposals submitted by NECA teams across the nation, will vie for first place at the Annual NECA Convention Oct. 22–25 in San Diego, Calif., by presenting 15-minute oral presentations to a panel of industry experts.

Members of the NECA Texas A&M student chapter team are Scotty Beatty, Francisco Avila, Marie-Eve Peltier and Caleb Thomas. The team's sponsor is Les Monahan, executive manager of the NECA South Texas Chapter.