At La Consolacion College Bacolod’s Research Consciousness Week, amid the polished presentations and academic fanfare, a project quietly stole the spotlight—not with flashy jargon, but with raw relevance. Standing at the intersection of heat, hope, and hardware was Mr. Dexter Hormigoso, a Senior High School TVL-ICT teacher, who proved that brilliant solutions don’t always come from big labs. Sometimes, they come from the mind of a teacher who just wants people to stop sweating—literally.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙞𝙭
Anyone who has sat in a classroom or home in the Philippines at noon knows the suffocating grip of heat trapped beneath a roof. It’s a shared frustration—one that chips away at focus, health, and electric bills. Instead of just sighing at the swelter, Mr. Hormigoso asked: What if the building could fight back?
So he built a system that listens to the heat, talks back with data, and takes action. No more guessing when it’s too hot. No more waiting for someone to turn on the fan. His Automated Thermal Roof Monitoring System does the thinking—and the cooling—for you.
𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙈𝙎: 𝘼 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙨
This isn’t a science fair project. It’s a full-fledged IoT-powered prototype that integrates thermal sensors, an Arduino microcontroller, and a GSM module to send real-time SMS alerts when the heat index climbs too high. But it doesn’t stop at reporting—it kicks cooling into gear.
The moment temperatures cross a certain threshold, fans whir on. A misting pump might activate. The system is designed to preempt discomfort and reduce energy waste by responding just in time—not when it’s already too late.
That’s the brilliance of it: a smart system for hot roofs that doesn’t require constant attention. It just… works.
𝙀𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙋𝙧𝙤, 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧
Mr. Hormigoso didn’t just build this system in isolation—he invited scrutiny, embraced testing, and gathered insights. With 33 respondents from varied backgrounds—homeowners, tech experts, office staff—he collected data using rigorous tools like the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) and McCall’s Software Quality Model.
The results? Glowing.
System usefulness scored an impressive 6.35 out of 7. Information quality? 6.2. Overall performance? 6.4. The McCall model confirmed the system’s strength in reliability, efficiency, and real-world function. Users loved the real-time alerts and the hands-off automation. The feedback? “This works. This makes sense.”
𝘼 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖 𝙏𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙧, 𝙖 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙧
Mr. Hormigoso isn’t just teaching tech—he’s living it. In a field often dominated by large companies and institutions, he’s carved space for grassroots innovation. His work shows what happens when practical challenges meet inspired minds. And he did it with accessible tools: open-source hardware, basic sensors, and thoughtful coding.
In a way, his project is more than a solution to heat. It’s a blueprint for how educators can lead research—not just for theory, but for impact.
𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙: 𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙧, 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧
Of course, Mr. Hormigoso isn’t done yet. He sees future upgrades: cloud-based data logs, mobile app integration, solar-powered backups, and even AI-driven predictive cooling. He’s thinking big—but staying grounded.
His vision? A Philippines where classrooms, homes, and public buildings are smarter about how they handle heat. Where comfort isn’t a privilege—it’s built in. And where innovation starts with teachers and spreads to the community.
𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙: 𝘼 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙖, 𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙩 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢
What Mr. Hormigoso presented was more than a technical achievement. It was a response to a lived reality. And in doing so, he reminded everyone at Research Consciousness Week that good research doesn’t just fill journals. It fills gaps. Eases burdens. And sometimes, it cools a classroom just in time for the afternoon quiz.
That’s not just smart—that’s service. And that’s something worth celebrating.