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Software to Help Schools Measure Environmental Impact Wins Microsoft Award


WEBWIRE

TR Control Solutions’ ecoDriver Schools software educates youth on energy efficiency and empowers students to change behavior.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 2008 — The spirit of innovation among Microsoft Corp.’s partner community was celebrated today as TR Control Solutions Ltd. was announced as the first Platinum Ingenuity Point Award winner for its ecoDriver Schools solution. The award is a culmination of Microsoft’s Ingenuity Point contest, a worldwide competition open to independent software vendors (ISVs) that build solutions on Microsoft technology with the potential to address some of the world’s biggest challenges in the areas of education, healthcare and environmental sustainability.

“At Microsoft, we have always believed that computer technology coupled with the magic of software provides powerful tools for tackling some of the world’s toughest problems,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “The Ingenuity Point contest is one of the ways Microsoft recognizes innovative solutions developed by our partners to improve people’s lives by increasing literacy, improving healthcare and addressing environmental sustainability.”

Chosen from six Gold Award finalists from two phases of the yearlong competition, TR Control Solutions’ ecoDriver Schools solution helps raise awareness and reduce the carbon footprint in schools. Based on Windows and Microsoft .NET technologies, ecoDriver Schools monitors energy and water use and provides information and analysis that can then inform conservation plans, classroom education and student activities.

“We are thrilled to be selected as the Platinum Award winner for the Ingenuity Point contest,” said John Taylor, founder of TR Control Solutions, who co-developed ecoDriver Schools with company director Robert Battye. “In creating ecoDriver Schools, we focused on developing a solution that would serve as a foundation for sustainable development, while also providing an education tool to channel the enthusiasm of students who want to make a difference.”

ecoDriver Schools makes it possible for administrators, teachers, and students to track, manage, and report on a school’s consumption of resources by reflecting the consumption levels — and the cost of that consumption — on a large-screen monitor, where it shows up in visual dashboards with line and bar graphs, as well as numeric readouts. The same information — including kilowatt-hour usage and expense for every day of the month and every month of the year, as well as carbon dioxide production data and comparisons with the previous year — also can be accessed though the system. Schools can track how changes in behavior will save energy and money and reduce the school’s carbon footprint, while also drawing on a resource to help educate children on ways to work together to minimize the environmental impact of their respective schools.

Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist and one of the judges of the Ingenuity Point contest, Rob Bernard, said the ecoDriver solution is an excellent example of how technology can help drive positive change for the world’s most urgent challenges.

“The goal of Microsoft’s Ingenuity Point contest is to recognize the passion and innovation behind technology solutions developed by our partners that help address global challenges,” Bernard said. “By developing a powerful solution with the potential to address climate change head-on, while also educating young people about responsible energy use, TR Control Solutions’ ecoDriver solution embodies the very heart of this competition.”

As a Platinum Ingenuity Point Award recipient, TR Control Solutions will serve as a guest judge in the global finals of Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008, held in Paris from July 3–8.

More information on the ecoDriver Schools solution, Ingenuity Point and future competitions can be found at http://www.theingenuitypoint.com/main/default.aspx.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.



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