Many colleges and universities fail to implement energy efficiency solutions campus-wide, even after proving substantial energy savings and a fast return on investment.
Often a solution like Events2HVAC is implemented in one building with great success, but never extends to the rest of the campus. In fact, some of our most impressive case studies are from student unions that implemented Events2HVAC and proved 20-50% electricity savings – yet the rest of the campus is still wasting energy by running HVAC in empty rooms several years later.
Though the reasons for this failure vary, there is a simple key to overcoming obstacles and achieving maximum energy savings with Events2HVAC:
Put Events2HVAC in your construction, remodel, and upgrade specs! Most colleges and universities are constantly building or remodeling campus facilities. Whether it is a new classroom building or an HVAC system upgrade in an existing building, you can put HVAC schedule integration into your construction specs for each project and gradually spread your use of Events2HVAC as projects are completed. Here is a specification you can download and modify to fit your needs.
Northwestern University is using this construction spec strategy to gradually implement Events2HVAC. They first contacted us way back in 2008, when Events2HVAC was in its infancy. But because they had many older buildings and independent departments using different room scheduling systems and HVAC controls, the obstacles seemed overwhelming.
Though we continued discussions with them over the years, the obstacles seemed insurmountable until the facility manager decided to put Events2HVAC into construction specs and hold contractors accountable for the integration. In the meantime, we continued improving Events2HVAC, and with the release of Events2HVAC Professional in March 2016, the problem of multiple room scheduling systems was resolved. This edition of the software can pull room schedules from multiple event management systems and send commands to multiple HVAC control systems.
So two hurdles had been overcome, but one still remained. Since Events2HVAC was now in several construction specs, it was unclear how the cost would be split between the projects and the contractors. The university had to determine where the software would reside and how each project would gradually be added to the system.
The solution we proposed, which they are using, is outlined step-by-step below:
The university purchased an initial Events2HVAC Professional license for a small number of rooms, including event providers for all five room scheduling systems used across campus.
Their IT networking staff installed the software on a server and worked with the various room scheduling systems to get everything connected.
As construction projects with Events2HVAC in them are completed, each project is required to include connecting HVAC controls to Events2HVAC and adding the necessary number of rooms to the license.
IT staff, facility mangers, and contractors assist as needed in getting new rooms and equipment entered into Events2HVAC for schedule automation.
Using this method, the university will save more and more energy, and streamline their HVAC scheduling process over time. Granted, they would have saved more energy faster if they could have implemented Events2VHAC campus-wide from the start. But this is simply not possible for every campus. If a larger implementation is not possible, this stepwise solution is a good alternative.
HVAC schedule integration with Events2HVAC is still relatively new. Many contractors and HVAC technicians are not yet familiar with it, so they are not likely to include it in proposals. But if it is in the specs, they must include it in the project. Since Events2HVAC is a low-cost solution with a high return on investment, putting Events2HVAC in your specs is an easy way to reach your campus energy goals.
Email sales@streamsidesolutions.com or call (888) 320-4277 ext. 1 to discuss your campus or facility and determine if Events2HVAC can help you reach your goals.