K-State students help with Shepherd's Crossing energy project

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Source: Ray Yunk, 785-532-3584, yunk@k-state.edu
Note to editors: Josh Long is a graduate of El Dorado High School; Steven Gorup is a graduate of Bishop Ward High School, Kansas City, Kan.; Drew Whitehill is a graduate of McPherson High School; and Brad Ross is a graduate of Wamego High School.
News release prepared by: Megan Wilson, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu

Monday, February 5, 2007

K-STATE STUDENTS HELP WITH SHEPHERD'S CROSSING ENERGY PROJECT

MANHATTAN -- Students from the College of Engineering at Kansas State University are assisting a local charity with an energy efficiency project.

Eighteen students from the department of architectural engineering and construction science will be conducting energy surveys in the homes of Shepherd's Crossing clients, evaluating the homes for energy efficiency and making recommendations for modifications to the homes, the heating and cooling equipment, and energy use habits.

Shepherd's Crossing is a nonprofit organization that makes available emergency financial assistance for utilities, rent and prescription medications to low-income households in Manhattan and Riley County. The organization is funded by member churches, as well as grants and donations from individuals in the community.

The K-State students completed a four-hour training program at the Kansas Building Science Institute to learn how to conduct the surveys. They will inspect multiple aspects of the homes, including attics, outside walls, floors, exterior doors, windows, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats and refrigerators. Students also will present clients with a weatherization kit, which includes a "care package" of low-cost energy improvement items such as weather-stripping, compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow showerheads. The students will review the kits with the clients and help them install selected items.

Once the surveys are complete, students will provide Shepherd's Crossing a formal report with a summary of their findings and their recommendations. Shepherd's Crossing will identify sources of assistance, which could include churches that commit to sponsoring a client or a local contractor who agrees to provide replacement items, such as a furnace or air conditioning unit, at cost.

Shepherd's Crossing clients aren't the only ones who will benefit from the energy surveys, said Ray Yunk, professor of architectural engineering and construction science at K-State. Yunk recruited students from his department to assist with the project.

"The students will have an opportunity to apply, on a small scale, the things they have learned in classes related to energy use in buildings," Yunk said. "They will also be required to analyze a home and its systems, and make judgment calls on what are the most important and practical improvements that can be made to save energy.

"This is very much a consulting engineering-type exercise and provides a real-world learning experience that far exceeds what can be done in the traditional classroom setting," he said. "I am very proud of our students for stepping up to be involved in this service and learning opportunity."

A grant from the Caroline Peine Foundation will support the students' efforts. More information on Shepherd's Crossing is available at http://www.shepherdscrossing.info

K-State College of Engineering students who will be assisting with the project are:

Brandon Tyler, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, Burns; Brendan Gleason, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, Halstead; Tate Betz, graduate student in architectural engineering, Jetmore; Joe Levin, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, Kensington; Lisa Beck, senior in architectural engineering, Leavenworth.

From Manhattan: Steven Gorup, senior in construction science and management; Josh Long, senior in construction science and management; Brad Ross, senior in architectural engineering; and Drew Whitehill, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering.

Brandon Damas, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, Olathe; James Hodgson, senior in construction science and management, Scammon; and Nick Long, junior in architectural engineering, Topeka; and Brandon Frey, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, and Ben Willey, fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, both of Wichita.

From Missouri: Kathleen Klamm, junior in architectural engineering, and Kristen Wenzel, senior in architectural engineering, both of Liberty; Jessica Mangler, junior in architectural engineering, Monett; and Lauren Gardner, senior in architectural engineering, Unionville.