The client also was keen in making all of its systems talk with one another. So the energy-management solutions provider’s team worked closely with the integrated workplace-management system, iOffice, to make the systems sync. The iOffice platform is the backbone to the client’s global facility program and focuses on personnel and workplace activity. By integrating these two powerful technologies, the client is able to combine energy and people data, thereby providing information about energy use per person.
This implementation has been a great success as this global client is focused on doubling the size of its corporate campus. Within a matter of months, the energy- management solutions provider’s technology identified a potential 11 percent in savings at this location alone—amounting to $125,000. Seeing this success, the company is working with the energy-management solutions provider to implement its energy-monitoring solutions at other properties in the manufacturer’s portfolio around the country.
One of the primary reasons our client opted to partner with this particular energy-management solutions provider, beyond the cutting-edge technology and rapid speed of delivery, was the provider’s focus on customer engagement. After installation, representatives hold an initial kick-off meeting; a 30-day check-in; and ongoing quarterly sessions with clients to answer questions, help pinpoint savings opportunities, and ensure that customers are fully empowered to leverage energy data and see results quickly. The customer success team is also available at all hours to answer any question or issue a building operations team may face.
When using the energy-management solutions provider for real-time energy- monitoring technology, building owners typically see a payback on the investment within five to seven months, identifying energy savings between 8 to 20 percent. It is estimated that if the more than 50 million points being monitored in the nation’s commercial buildings used real-time energy-monitoring technology, the total savings could surpass $40 billion each year.
Whether you are working to decrease energy costs, achieve energy-data transparency, or create a sustainability-focused corporate culture—as we’ve seen here—implementing real-time energy monitoring can be a big step toward achieving your company’s goals.
Photos: Aquicore
Energy Successes
Companies and building owners of all kinds are seeing dramatic savings and easier utility management through real-time energy monitoring. Consider the following:
- Cushman & Wakefield: In just one year, Cushman & Wakefield (formerly Cassidy Turley) was able to help reduce energy consumption in one Baltimore building by 42 percent, raising its ENERGY STAR score to 75.
- The Tower Cos.: With the switch from a quarterly water bill to real-time data, The Tower Cos. was able to track usage in detail and make adjustments to reduce water use by 45 percent in a year, saving the company $14,000.
- MRP Realty: By adding 270 submeters to one building to deliver data points, and removing the previous cluster of wires and meters, MRP Realty was able to automatically calculate and deliver individual tenant bills via email. This cut the tenant billing process from two days to just a few minutes while providing an easy way to adjust billing periods and rates as needed.
- Lenkin: At one 50-year-old building, real-time energy-management technology was able to help reduce electricity costs by $75,000 in nine months, bringing the property’s ENERGY STAR score from 62 to 76—meeting the threshold of 75 to become ENERGY STAR certified. This was done using programmable thermostats without a building-automation system.
Top 10 Opportunities for Energy Savings
The following are the top submetering equipment and spaces ranked in order of potential savings possible through real-time energy monitoring:
1. Chillers (electricity)
2. Boilers (gas)
3. Cooling Towers (water)
4. Air-handling Units, AHUs (electricity)
5. Rooftop HVAC, RTUs (electricity)
6. Indoor Lighting (electricity)
7. Data Centers (electricity)
8. Motor Control Center, MCC (electricity)
9. Main Water Feed (water)
10. Plug Load (electricity)