June 8, 2010

QA Graphics, an industry leader in providing energy education dashboards and interactive displays for sustainable buildings has developed a module for their Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard solution that is compatible with the Tridium Niagara AX platform.

The Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard is an interactive solution used to provide education about the importance of a building’s efficiencies and sustainable features. The educational display can show a building’s resource use in real-time, providing a series of screens with live and historical building data, such as electric use or water use. The data is presented in an easy to understand format for building occupants and the public. Any building data pulled from the control system can be displayed on graphs for a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly time period. Showing a building’s resource use is important; it allows viewers to see if the building is performing as it should be and motivates them to be more aware of their resource use. The solution also helps facility managers and building owners manage their building’s resource use, as the data is readily accessible and the metrics are easier to understand.

Typically, to display real-time data, the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard requires certain hardware components to integrate the application with a building’s control system. With QA Graphics’ development of the new EEED Module for Niagara AX, users of the Niagara AX platform can purchase the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard at a significantly lower price, because the module allows customers to utilize the control system’s existing hardware. The module also simplifies the process and reduces the set-up time needed to integrate the application with the AX platform.

In addition to displaying a building’s performance data, the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard is also used to educate building occupants and the public about the building’s sustainable practices. A variety of educational information can be displayed, like calculators that compute the resources saved, educational demos that show how a solar hot water panel system collects solar energy to provide a facility with hot water, and environmental tips that everyone can follow to help sustain the environment. Interactive features like quizzes, games and LEED checklists make the display fun and encourage viewers to learn more.   Energy education dashboards are increasingly being used by schools, universities, libraries, retail facilities, hotels, restaurants, and governmental buildings, and when combined with supporting educational efforts, may help achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Innovation in Design LEED credit.
  
The Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard can be displayed on the internet, intranet, and/or hardware devices located throughout the building, such as touch screens or kiosks. The application is also editable, giving the end-user the ability to change much of the content and images as the sustainable initiatives evolve. To learn more, visit http://www.qagraphics.com/energy-efficiency-education-dashboard.html or contact QA Graphics at 515.965.3403 to view a demo.
 
The EEED Module for Niagara AX is the second module compatible with the Niagara AX system that QA Graphics has recently released to help simplify the use of their products with the AX platform. QA Graphics has also developed a BAS Image Module which users can rely on to build better graphics within their BAS software. The BAS Image Module is offered in conjunction with QA Graphics’ 3D Symbol Library, which provides both static and pre-built animated images that are more realistic than provided by default with the Niagara AX platform. The library and module function smoothly within Niagara AX, allowing the user to build graphics, pull in the pre-built animations, and bind the points and animations. The module can be opened though Niagara AX’s palette sidebar, where the user can drag and drop the symbols onto their canvas, making the process of assembling high-end graphics simpler and faster. 

About QA Graphics
QA Graphics is an innovative computer graphic development company specializing in the building automation and green building industries. The company is an industry leader in the design of graphical user interfaces (GUI) and energy education dashboards used to showcase a building’s performance and sustainable initiatives. The company also provides a variety of design services including graphic outsourcing, 3D design/animation, drafting, interactive content and website development.