Author: Sherri Shields

2023 EnergyWhiz (In-Person) Award Winners

Sherri Shields Awards, Feature Story, K-12 Education 4 Comments

Congratulations to all of the award winners at this year’s EnergyWhiz! This year’s event was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2023 at FSEC, an energy research center at the University of Central Florida, in Cocoa, Florida.

JUNIOR SOLAR SPRINT

Green Division (Grades 3 – 5)

Best Design

1st Place – BlackJack – Sumter STEM 4H (Wildwood)
Teacher – Jenna Childs

2nd Place – The Three Speeds – NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale)
Teacher – Michele Garren

3rd Place – The NSU Gang – NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale)
Teacher – Michele Garren

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2023 EnergyWhiz Virtual Award Winners

Sherri Shields Awards, Feature Story, K-12 Education 0 Comment

EnergyWhiz Virtual logoFrom crazy contraptions that take you around the world, to super speedy solar cars, this year’s EnergyWhiz Virtual was diverse and inspiring. Visit https://www.energywhiz.com/energywhiz-virtual-2023/ to see the projects. The award winners are listed below.

Be sure to join us for EnergyWhiz in-person on April 22, 2023 (Earth Day) at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa. Projects at the in-person event include Critter Comfort Cottage, Electrathon, Energy Inspired Art, Junior Solar Sprint, and the Solar Energy Cook-off. Exhibits and tasty food truck fare will also be there. All are invited to participate in an EnergyQuest (scavenger hunt) and win a prize. 

This year’s sponsors include FPL, KUA, Duke Energy, LifeStyle Homes, Florida Association of Sleep Technologists, Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition, and Drive Electric Florida. Read more

FSEC EARNS 2022 ENERGY STAR® MARKET LEADER AWARD

Sherri Shields Awards, Energy News, Feature Story, Press Release 0 Comment

COCOA, FL, June 30, 2022 – FSEC Energy Research Center at the University of Central Florida is proud to announce that it has earned a 2022 ENERGY STAR® Market Leader Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recognition of its contribution to verifying energy-efficient new homes that have earned ENERGY STAR certification. ENERGY STAR certified homes are at least 10% more energy efficient than those built to code and achieve a 20% improvement on average while providing homeowners with better quality, performance, and comfort.

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UCF Awarded Department of Energy Grant to Study Method for Reducing Energy Use by 50-75% in Older Homes

Sherri Shields Awards, Feature Story, Press Release 2 Comments

UCF, one of seven teams selected by the Department of Energy to demonstrate innovative building energy retrofits, will determine if a pod system with heating and cooling capabilities is effective for retrofitting thousands of homes, including affordable housing.

PV-GEMS prototype pod system comprised of 300W PV modules, a heat pump water heater, minisplit AC, battery and controller.
PV-GEMS prototype systems were designed with energy simulations in Phase 1, while this award for Phase 2 will be demonstration and deployment. Illustration Credit: Nick Waters.

ORLANDO, March 30, 2022 – The University of Central Florida was recently awarded a grant worth $4.4 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to determine if a pre-packaged pod is an effective method to deploy very efficient heating, cooling and water heating systems to thousands of homes.

The DOE awarded $32 million to seven teams that will manage 30 demonstration projects nationwide. Finding effective ways to retrofit existing and older buildings to be more energy efficient is critical considering there are 130 million buildings in the United States today and about 75% of them are expected to still be standing in 2050, according to the DOE. Upgrading older homes is often expensive and intrusive, which makes homeowners less likely to make the investment. The pod system holds promise because it is expected to reduce energy use by 50-75% and is less disruptive to install, according to researchers.

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