Energy management system in education institution

Overview

A leading educational institution in Auckland, New Zealand, was looking to optimise its energy usage and reduce operational costs. The institution approached Direct Control in early 2019 to implement energy management system, which included advanced metering and monitoring for the energy supply across its campus.

Project Numbers

• Estimated annualised consumption without ECM: 1,300,000.00 kWh ($190,000.00)
• Annualised actual consumption: 1,130,000.00 kWh ($165,000.00)
• Savings/year: 170,000 kWh ($25,000)
• Payback period: 1 year

The Challenge

As a large facility with multiple buildings and facilities, they were facing rising energy costs from inefficient energy usage. Without visibility into its energy consumption patterns, the facility had no way to identify opportunities for savings. The facilities team needed energy management system that could provide granular measurability and analytics around energy consumption.

The Energy Management System

Direct Control conducted an energy audit and installed its automated metering and data analytics platform across the campus. The system connected smart energy meters to a central software dashboard, which provided energy usage data down to the device level and delivered real-time reporting on consumption metrics.

The facilities team could visualise trends, track peak demand times, and pinpoint locations with abnormal usage. The data enabled them to optimise HVAC schedules, adjust operating hours for equipment, identify faulty devices to repair, and prioritise capital projects to improve energy efficiency.

“The facility is now well-equipped to manage its energy consumption despite changing needs.”

The Results

In the first 6 months after implementing Direct Control’s energy management system, they reduced their annualised energy consumption by 13% compared to their previous baseline usage. This led to estimated energy savings of over 172,000 kWh and over $25,000 in cost savings annually.

The project delivered its objectives of increasing its operational efficiency, cutting energy waste, and reducing utility expenses. With continued use of its new energy analytics capabilities, they can build on these savings over time and advance its sustainability initiatives.