Energy

Advertising Supplement

Craig proves there’s still a big need for thinkers

Who says there’s no room for
backyard tinkerers and basement
inventors in today’s high-tech
world of multimillion dollar labor-
atories and high-powered scientif-
ic teams.

Craig Carmichael, 35, a techno-
logist at the Greater Victoria
School District and a recent recip-
ient of a B.C. Hydro Power Smart
energy innovator’s award has prov-
en that there is.

Carmichael was presented with
the Power Smart innovator’s award
for developing a computer and
writing a program for it that can
cut energy costs 10 to 20 per cent
in schools.

“Craig’s device resulted from
thinking creatively about an ener-
gy consumption problem which
affects the pocket books of most of
the taxpayers in the province,”
said Hydro’s Arthur Geikie, vice
president of energy innovation.

Geikie added that Carmichael’s
approach was the kind of grass-
roots creativity that Hydro wanted
to recognize and support.

Carmichael’s computer has the
capability of turning off energy-
consuming units when not needed:
heating plants, cooling fans, light-
ing, circulation pumps, irrigation
systems, Class bells and almost any
other energy-consuming system.

“T suspect it cuts 10 to 20 per
cent off the annual electrical bill
of most schools which use it,”
said Carmichael, “although we’ ve
never had an opportunity to care-
fully measure the results it
achieves.”

He added that the device cuts
out a lot of work since staff don’t
have to come in on holidays and

weekends to tend to the systems. It
can be monitored by a phone call.

Commercial units similar to the
one devised by Carmichael are
now on the market for about
$2,000.

“The big difference between the
commercial units and the one |
devised is that mine stands alone.
It runs by itself while the commer-
cial units need a personal comput-
er,” said Carmichael.

The concept for the computer
originated with Keith Hawkins, P.
Eng. Greater Victoria School Dis-
trict plant manager, who wrote the
specifications upon which the
computer is based.

“We went from controlling the
water temperature to circulation
pumps to electric heat until in the
end we ended up with a device
that could control many energy-
consuming units,” said Carmi-
chael.

The first practical application of
the project was Harbor View
School in 1985 to control the hot
water boiler.

Carmichael used off-the-shelf
components for his computer and
wrote the software which is ex-
pandable.

The devices were installed in a
dozen Greater Victoria schools,
particularly older schools with
heating and ventilation problems.
They override existing mechanical
controls which may function as a
back-up.

“It’s a developed, proven pro-
duct,” said Hawkins. “We can put
them in schools and forget about
them.”

Carmichael is now developing
in his free time a new, low-priced

Sidney takes right steps in.
looming energy crunch

With Middle East oil supplies
under threat and the possibility of
a recession looming, Sidney resi-
dents are doing just the right thing
says Wally Craig, Hydro’s Van-
couver Island marketing manager.

Craig said that Sidney played an
important role in reducing energy
consumption on Vancouver Island
by 116,000 kilowatt hours over the
past year.

“Since Hydro’s Power Smart
conservation programs were
launched about a year ago, the
island has saved enough electricity
to power more than 1,100 homes,”
he said.

Craig explained that Hydro’s
Power Smart conservation con-
cept, launched in March of 1989,
is designed to promote energy
savings by applying the right tech-
nology in the nght place.

“There are hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars’ worth of energy
to be saved on Vancouver Island
by both individuals and companies
simply by applying the right tech-
nology,” he said. “And if difficult
economic times are approaching,
now is the time to look at energy
cost-cutting.”

Many of the Power Smart pro-
grams involve subsidizing con-
Sumers to encourage the right
technology. “We have more than
20 different programs ranging
from free audits of compressor
systems in plants to a $50 rebate
for the purchase of an energy-
efficient refrigerator.”

He added that Hydro offices
throughout the Island are supplied
with free Power Smart brochures
describing the programs.

“A Jot of people question why
Hydro would encourage people to
decrease the use of the product it
~ a nae”? caid Craig, but the

answer is simple: it’s economical
for Hydro and it reduces the pres-
sure On Our environment.”

He said that for every year we
can put off building a major elec-
trical generating project, we can
save the taxpayers of B.C.
hundreds of millions of dollars in
interest charges alone.

“Not only that, but by deferring
or reducing projects, we minimize
the impact on the environment,”
he said.

British Columbians are big pow-
er users, said Craig, and demand is
growing quickly — about three
per cent a year right now.

He said Hydro’s long-term strat-
egy is to work towards establishing
a new energy efficiency ethic.

“We're trying to provide leader-
ship in the development of the
future uses of electricity, trying to
change current electrical use and
trying to influence the purchase of
new equipment,” he said. “but it
is the people of Vancouver Island
who have achieved the results and
they should be congratulated.”

He said that in the recent Hydro
Challenge contest which asked
British Columbians to submit en-
ergy conservation ideas, Vancouv-
er Islanders submitted more ideas
per capita than any other region in
the province.

Many of the ideas, he added,
have been published in a booklet
“British Columbians Share Their
Power Smarts” which is available
at Hydro offices.

“We have a lot of creative
people on the Island and a lot of
people who are concerned about
the environment,” said Craig, “so
I have tremendous expectations
that the Power Smart program will
expand and grow in the next few
years.”

TheReyiew Wednesday, November 28, 1990 — C4

general purpose device similar to
the one he recently designed but
applicable to virtually any com-
puter use including any type of
control from heating systems to
traffic lights. 7
He explained that the design of
the new computer is to be in the OPEN ¢ DAYS
public domain so that no permis-
sion is required for companies to A WEEK BRAD & L AUR A
make use of it and that the com-
puter’s functions may be expanded 2488 Beacon Ave.
by adding circuit boards or soft- Sidney =
ware.
“Tf it works, it may have a
tremendous impact and sweep the
market,’ said Carmichael. ig
In recognition of his pioneering :
work, Carmichael was recently s
given a citation from the Associa- There are milli 2
tion of Applied Science Techno- 8% Br Hous 2
logists and Technicians of B.C. He of reasonstobuy #@
graduated from the B.C. Institute UNICEF ds & if s
of Technology in 1975. SAMS eh us 5
; ... all of them children. =
eve yw — For a new full-colour brochure, contact: 5
[2) 5 UNICEF Canada a
Bas 443 Mt. Pleasant Road, 2
) nice Toronto, Ont. M4S 2L8 =
Telephone (416) 482-4444
OR call toll-free 1-800-268-3770 (Operator 741)
*

THERE'S A COLD HEARTED
THIEF IN YOUR HOME.

WE'LL GIVE YOU $50 TO TURN IT IN:

It’s lurking outside the back door. Or in the shadows of the basement.
It’s the humming, whirring, clicking, old second refrigerator.
And it’s robbing you of cold cash-
an old inefficient second fridge can cost you up to $100 a year to run. |

WE LL COME AND GET IT.

We can take the problem off your hands. We’ll pick up your old fridge
free of charge, dispose ofit in an environmentally safe
manner and send you a cool $50. This program
is a Power Smart initiative from B.C. Hydro.

To participate, call the Refrigerator Buy-Back Hot Line toll-free 1-800-663-CASH

*This offer is for household refrigerators in Delta, Maple Ridge. Pitt Meadows, Vernon, Williams La

VME
SIME

ke, Quesnel and Greater Victoria.

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