NECA Blog

All The Latest News from NECA

Oct 08

Students Make Their Case at the NECA 2016 GEC

Three NECA Student Chapters presented their impressive proposals at the 2016 Green Energy Challenge on Friday as NECA 2016 Boston opened at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center.

Teams from the University of Toronto, the University of Washington and Iowa State University made presentations on projects focused on energy efficiency and savings to buildings for their respective clients. Each team developed a plan for a local elementary or secondary school:

  • University of Toronto (working as Northern Lights Solutions) – University of Toronto Schools
  • University of Washington (Cascadia Electric) – St. Joseph School
  • Iowa State University (Cyclone Electric) – Edwards Elementary School

The jury for this year’s Challenge included a host of electrical contractors and industry partners.

After each presentation, which lasted about 15 minutes, the Student Chapters fielded questions from the jury. They jury held deliberations directly after the presentations, and a winner will be announced at the Opening General Session on Saturday.

Poster presentations were also displayed at the Challenge. They came from two of today’s finalists, Iowa State and the University of Toronto, as well as Kennesaw State University, Oregon State University, Penn State University, Ball State University, Purdue University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

 

 

 

Oct 03

Green Energy Challenge Teams Present to Panel of Industry Experts

Three NECA Student Chapters made their case at the 2015 Green Energy Challenge on Saturday as NECA 2015 San Francisco opened at Moscone Center South.

Teams from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Penn State University and Iowa State University made presentations on projects focused on energy efficiency and savings to buildings on their respective campuses. Each team developed a back-up power system and resiliency plan for an existing facility that had demonstrated critical power needs.

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The jury for this year’s Challenge included the following electrical contractors and industry partners:

  • Gerard Darville, Lutron Electronics
  • Angela Hart, Rosendin Electric
  • Kristian Reyes, Graybar
  • Brad Weir, Kelso-Burnet Co.
  • Sonja Rheaume, Christenson Electric
  • Eduardo Mariscal-Hay, PhD, Consultant
  • Adam Rude, ERMCO, Inc.

After each of their presentations, which lasted about 15 minutes, the Student Chapters fielded questions from the jury. They jury held deliberations directly after the presentations, and a winner will be announced at the Opening General Session on Sunday.

Poster presentations were also displayed at the Challenge. They came from two of today’s finalists, Iowa State and the Illinois Institute of Technology, as well as Kennesaw State University, Oregon State University, the University of Washington and the University of Toronto.

Oct 02

ELECTRI Events at NECA 2014 Chicago

ELECTRI International – The Foundation for Electrical Construction hosted several events during the annual NECA Convention in Chicago on September 27-30, 2014:

Wendt Award

Dennis F Quebe, NECA President and Daniel J. Divane, 2013-2014 ELECTRI Council Chair; Photo by Chuck FazioAt the NECA Convention Opening General Session, ELECTRI Council Chair Dan Divane (Divane Bros. Electric, Chicago) was honored by the Foundation with its prestigious Wendt Award. This annual recognition is named in honor of Albert G. Wendt (Canon & Wendt, Phoenix, AZ) and recognizes outstanding leadership and commitment to the electrical construction industry.

ELECTRI Council Meeting

Due to the unanticipated flight delays/cancellations into Chicago, the ELECTRI Council meeting was shortened to accommodate the rescheduled Green Energy Challenge final presentations. Greg Long (Long Electric, Napa, CA) was nominated by Dan Divane as the 2015-2016 ELECTRI Council Chair. The full Council affirmed the nomination. Research reports originally scheduled for this Council meeting will be presented at the Council’s January meeting in San Diego. The CalPoly San Luis Obispo faculty advisors gave a report about their Ecuador Student Passport Competition entry. (The project had not been selected for the Passport finals.)

2014 Green Energy Challenge Finals

LtR: Doug Hague, NECA Executive Committee, with Iowa State University NECA Student Chapter Team; Photo by Chuck FazioThis year, ELECTRI challenged each NECA Student chapter team to select a student use facility, conduct an energy audit of the building’s power and lighting systems, and design and propose a retrofit for both. Competition judges evaluated 15 entries from top universities throughout the United States. The three finalist teams made their final oral presentations at the NECA Convention. ELECTRI awarded Iowa State $4,000 for the win. San Diego State placed second and received $3,000. Colorado State was third with a grant of $2,000. Iowa State team member Maggie Holt was selected as the competition’s Best Presenter and received an ELECTRI award of $500.

2014 Green Energy Challenge Poster Competition

San Diego State University NECA Student Chapter; Photo by Chuck FazioNine teams entered the Poster Competition. The top schools receiving awards for their posters included: San Diego State ($1,000); Iowa State ($750); and Illinois Institute of Technology ($350).

ELECTRI’s special thanks goes to all judges of both events for supporting ELECTRI’s Talent Initiative.

ELECTRI International Reception

LtR: Gustavo Varela (Comptel Ingenieria, Costa Rica), Russell J. Alessi (ELECTRI International), Kenneth MacDougall (Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter NECA); Photo by Chuck FazioA standing-room-only crowd enjoyed the by-invitation ELECTRI International reception at the historic Union League Club. Current Council members welcomed contractors and industry allies who are considering joining the Council.

High Priority Topics Committee (HPTC)

This newly-formed group met jointly with ELECTRI’s Kitchen Cabinet. Together, these industry leaders discussed programmatic ideas that they believe are essential to the future of electrical construction. The goal is to turn these topics into proposals and projects that ELECTRI can commission as part of its research agenda each year. The HPTC reviewed thirty topic suggestions and narrowed the list to five. The Program Review Committee will now select two initiative concepts and include them in the next Request for Proposal that goes out to investigators at leading universities.

General Session Presentation

Daniel J. Divane, 2013-2014 ELECTRI Council Chair; Photo by Chuck FazioCouncil Chair Dan Divane addressed the closing day General Session and gave a full report on ELECTRI’s growth and expansion during the past year. He highlighted new commitments to the Foundation, especially the increase in commitments made by NECA Chapters across the country.

The next ELECTRI Council Meeting will take place at Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, from 21-23 January, 2015. To find out more, please contact Sylvia Selwood at sselwood@electri.org or 301-215-4539.

Sep 28

Exciting Finish for ELECTRI’s Green Energy Challenge 

The results are in for ELECTRI International’s 2014 Green Energy Challenge and the winner is Iowa State University.

Iowa State University NECA Student Chapter, Photo by Chuck FazioThis year, ELECTRI challenged each college team to select a student use facility, conduct an energy audit of the building’s power and lighting systems, and design and propose a retrofit for both. The teams entered in the competition included construction management and engineering students who actively participate in their university’s Student Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

Competition judges, including contractors and industry partners, evaluated 15 entries from top universities throughout the United States. The three finalist teams were hosted by ELECTRI International at NECA’s National Convention in Chicago where they made their final oral presentations.

Best Presenter, Maggie Holt, Iowa State University, Photo by Chuck FazioELECTRI awarded Iowa State $4,000 for the win. Iowa State proposed updating the on-campus Memorial Union by improving the multi-use facility’s lighting, adding solar technology, and sub-metering. San Diego State placed second and received $3,000.Colorado State was third with a grant of $2,000. Iowa State team member Maggie Holt was selected as the competition’s Best Presenter and received an ELECTRI award of $500.

Poster Competition Results

San Diego State NECA Student Chapter, Photo by Chuck FazioNine teams entered the Green Energy Challenge Poster Competition. The top schools receiving awards for their posters included: San Diego State ($1,000); Iowa State ($750); and Illinois Institute of Technology ($350).

 

For additional information about ELECTRI International and its Green Energy Challenge, contact Sylvia Selwood, ELECTRI Director of Operations and University Relations, at 301-215-4539 or sselwood@electri.org.

 

Oct 04

2nd Annual 2010 Green Energy Challenge Winner Announced!

The winners of the 2nd Annual Green Energy Challenge were announced yesterday at the NECA Student Chapter Summit. First-time participants from the Milwaukee School of Engineering were selected by the judges as the top winners of this year’s student design competition.

The entry from the University of Washington won second prize, and Youngstown State University came in third. The judges were effusive in their praise of all the teams innovative solutions and especially on their work with clients in their respective communities to determine their projects’ energy efficiency needs.

“This really is the absolute best experience for any student thinking about a career in electrical construction, or really any sort of electrical technology,” said judge Tim McBride, Southern Contracting, San Marcos, Calif. McBride’s company donated additional prize money for the finalist teams.

The Green Energy Challenge invites teams of students studying electrical construction, engineering, design and management to conduct an energy audit of a nearby commercial or institutional facility in need of energy-efficiency improvements. Based on their energy audit findings, teams then submit a preliminary design of an energy retrofit that could include alternative energy sources.

YSU student team member Brittany Stillwagon lead off the team’s presentation yesterday, describing their client’s energy needs and the retrofits the team recommended. “We really wanted to find solutions that fit M-7’s requirements and offered opportunities for integrated growth.” The YSU project focused on the M-7 Technologies manufacturing facility, which has significant energy demands in manufacturing and repairing large-scale industrial products through the application of advanced digital measurement equipment and database technology. The students devised a plan for M-7, which is located just a few miles off campus, that incorporated lighting retrofits along with new wind, photovoltaic and hydroelectric power systems.

Oct 03

Nine New Fellows Inducted into Academy of Electrical Contracting 2010

The 2010 induction ceremony of new Fellows into the Academy of Electrical Contracting was held at today’s Opening General Session. Academy Chairman Milner Irvin introduced the nine new Fellows:

George Adams

EC Company

Portland, Oregon

Michael Bender

Bana Electric Corporation

Farmingdale, New York

Russ Borden

Tri-City Electric

Miami, Florida

I. Steven Diamond

Malko Electric

Morton Grove, Illinois

Charles Freeman

Gulf Electric

Mobile, Alabama

John Lambert

L&O Electric, Inc.

Austin, TX

David E. Morse

Morse Electric

Beloit, Wisconsin

Gary Tucci

Potelco, Inc.

Sumner, WA

Bruce Young

ColliSys

New Hope, Minnesota

Since its founding meeting in 1968, the Academy has served as the “voice of experience” for NECA and ELECTRI International – The Foundation for Electrical Construction, Inc. Fellows of the Academy are invited to join the organization based on their exceptional service to the electrical contracting industry. Each Academy Fellow authors a white page on their area of industry expertise, and they participate in issue analysis to determine trends within the industry and make recommendations.

More information about the Academy’s 2010 annual meeting, a list of Fellows and a complete archive of papers by Academy Fellows is available on NECA’s website.

Sep 27

Prizes, Prizes, PRIZES!

In addition to the usual fun stuff you find at the NECA Show, we’ve got some great speaking drawings and raffles this year. We’ll still have the daily drawings and grand prize drawing for the event, but there are some great chances to take some an awesome souvenir from the 2010 NECA Show!

ELECTRI International’s Talent Initiative for the flat-screen TVs in the fabulous Construction Zone networking lounge. You could be enjoying your next Red Sox game from the comfort of your living room on a brand-new television, plus your raffle ticket purchase will directly help NECA’s student chapter initiatives!

ECPAC will bring its popular regional meeting prize-raffle-with-your-contribution to NECA’s national convention for the first time. This year’s daily prize will be a new iPad, the hottest tech device going these days. Take advantage of BCEC’s wi-fi on your brand new iPad!

And there will be special games and prizes for making the rounds to all of NECA’s special Energy Solutions exhibitors. Just get your card stamped by these featured “green building” exhibitors to take advantage of these new opportunities – and you’ll probably see some of the coolest smart building products on the market.

The real prize hook-up will be the technical workshops, however. Panduit will also be giving away a raffle prize for attendees at their technical workshop, too. A brand new iPod Touch could be yours just for taking advantage of the great training offered at their session, Sunday, Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m. on Next Generation GBPS Network.

Osram Sylvania will be raffling off a  32 inch Sylvania flat screen TV at their technical workshop, Energy Saving Fluorescent Lighting Systems Technology Update, on Monday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m.

And finally, we just learned that High Voltage will be giving away an Amazon Kindle Electronic Book Reader with Wi-Fi & 3G connectivity, that will be given away during the following Technical Workshop, Very Low Frequency (VLF) AC Cable Testing, on Monday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.

Prizes plus education … a winning combination at the 2010 NECA Show!



Sep 14

Buy a Picture, Help Send a Child to School

NECA and ELECTRI International are running a special benefit for the Sandy Bay Alternative School in Roatan, Honduras, at the 2009 NECA Show.

Installing a solar photovoltaic system at Sandy Bay Alternative School was the student service project during this year’s Cross Border Meeting – a project that went on to win recognition from the Clinton Global Initiative.

art EDIT
Students from the school sent several pieces of artwork to share at NECA 2009 Seattle in gratitude. But with the students’ permission, NECA and the Foundation are taking donations for the school in exchange for their beautiful tropical drawings and paintings.

The recommended contribution is $15 for each picture, an amount that will help educate at child at the school for over half a year. Please help us support Sandy Bay Alternative School by visiting the art display at NECA (booth 10007 on the skywalk) and taking home a special memory from Seattle.