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MARQUETTE -- Automated systems have come a long way from simply being able to automatically regulate temperatures or turning lights on and off.  Companies such as Environmental Systems of Laurium can now install equipment that not only turns machinery on and off, but also diagnoses malfunctions and shows technicians exactly what's wrong--all with the touch of a computer mouse.

Just by pressing a few buttons, engineer Jeff Erickson of Environmental Systems can perform tasks such as regulating the amount of CO coming into a workout room or gym.  It's done by digital sensors that are linked to a network connection.  With the right access information, anyone on the wireless network can control the system, making it not only more energy efficient, but also saving on manpower.

"You're saving time when you have one person working on one piece of equipment and you can actually do it in the field and actually see the results," said Erickson.

Northern Michigan University has been using the automated network to regulate most of their systems on campus.

"Basically, this system acts as a portal to the rest of the campus, so we can visually see through the laptops what's going on with the equipment on the campus," said Cheryl Lajoie, front end operator for NMU's facilities department.

It's not just used for regulating equipment usage.  The system also alerts you in case of equipment failure.  The malfunctioning piece of machinery is automatically shut off and, within thirty seconds, a warning is sent through the network to the computer.

It's convenient and cost-effective.  Institutions using the technology have noticed energy savings of up to 20 percent.

But how complicated is it to run?

"If you can surf the Web, you can navigate the system," Erickson said.

Environmental Systems demonstrated just how useful the automated system can be at a seminar on Wednesday in the hopes of getting more people on board for a green technology that can also put more green in your pocket.

For more information, you can contact Environmental Systems at www.envsysinc.com.