Energy efficiency of Worcester Friends Meetinghouse

Every student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is required to complete an interdisciplinary research project called an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP).Student teams investigate issues at the intersection of technology and human needs, developing engineering solutions to societal problems.In 2013, a student team carried out an IQP project titled "Energy efficiency of Worcester Friends Meetinghouse" with the aim of reducing energy consumption in a building housing a number of non-profit agencies.The research, which focused on the buildings heating system, thermostat, windows, insulation, and usage behavior of the occupants, has produced a number of practical recommendations that can be implemented both in this building and others like it.It further serves as an excellent model of the IQP program, and can be used to illustrate the objectives of, challenges facing, and philosophy behind the WPI student project system.