For facility managers, building intelligence tools have the potential to significantly improve energy consumption and facility operations across organizations. In educational facilities, intelligent building solutions streamline procedures and give insight into what changes primary occupants and operations staff should make to energy use behaviors. Knowing where to strategically implement building intelligence can elevate the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization’s operations.

(Related: What Is an Intelligent School Building & How Will It Improve Student Learning?)

Building Intelligence Streamlines Facilities Management

The digitalization of facilities management allows for simultaneous monitoring and automation of systems and processes. As a result, on-site staff can better focus on creating comfortable learning environments for students and instructors instead of micromanaging manual system settings across vast campuses.

With classroom size and budget deficits increasing, the use of intelligent building solutions will allow facilities managers to access data remotely and make informed decisions along the way, two arguments crucial to building the business case for intelligent building solutions in schools.

Key Use Cases for Digitizing Building Systems

At its core, building intelligence connects physical assets to an overarching digital system that makes it more convenient to track and manage facility assets. The ability to better track activities gives administrators and staff the information necessary to reduce energy waste.

The primary use cases of building intelligence include four critical areas:

1. Automated lighting controls and energy management systems (EMS).
2. Analyses of past, current and desired energy use behaviors.
3. Electronic security services that provide peace of mind to parents and safety to all occupants.
4. Predictive maintenance, which reduces facility assets’ total cost of ownership.

Benefits of Building Intelligence in Educational Facilities

Intelligent school buildings and university facilities offer additional benefits to students, staff and the organization. Data visualization allows managers to pinpoint where energy inefficiencies lie for more accurate corrections. As utility costs decrease, the corresponding savings are available for the organization to redirect to other areas of need.

Additional business intelligence benefits include:

• Less disruption to student experiences. Improved air quality contributes to better health of primary occupants and reduces the number of sick days.
• Comfortable environments stimulate learning. Building intelligence alerts users to the root cause of equipment malfunction, allowing operations teams to solve problems rather than place a temporary solution. As a result, systems work as intended, giving occupants a comfortable learning environment to thrive in.
• Increased student and occupant safety. Connected systems can prevent unauthorized access to organizational cloud infrastructure and trigger safety responses in the event of an emergency.
• Reduce the amount of labor needed to manage facilities. Central controls give education facility managers the freedom to work remotely — crucial to districts that face staffing shortages. Since maintenance and operations staff can perform their job duties more effectively with smart technology, overall labor costs decrease.

Take Advantage of Digital Intelligence Through a Cenergistic Partnership

Building intelligence empowers educators with the information necessary for efficient facility operations. Cenergistic’s GreenX™ platform provides instantaneous access to building meters across an organization, using the power of connected systems to significantly reduce utility consumption.

Find out how a smart energy conservation program can save your organization millions through state-of-the-art technology by visiting Cenergistic online or calling 1-855-798-7779 today.