Akron Energy Systems

CHALLENGE:

Akron Energy Systems (AES) is the city of Akron, Ohio’s community energy system operator. Community energy systems utilize a central plant to produce steam and chilled water that are then distributed to buildings through a network of underground pipes, eliminating the need for onsite equipment and lowering buildings’ total energy use.

AES  facilitates the change from on-site energy production to the community energy system, and from there, reduces building owners’ total cost of ownership by taking over building system upkeep and maintenance. Prior to selecting 75F as a controls partner, AES was working with whichever controls solution already existed at customer locations and frequently needed to make site visits to diagnose and correct system issues.

To simultaneously enhance customer service and make their own internal processes more efficient, AES sought a controls solution that could provide remote access, analytics, and alert capabilities under a single pane of glass. Ultimately, these features would allow AES to quickly diagnose customer problems without needing to visit the site first and provide their customers powerful portfolio-wide insight.

SOLUTION:

AES considered numerous control providers during their selection process. The organization landed on 75F due to the system’s cloud-enabled  remote control and robust analytics, pre-packaged control sequences with ASHRAE GPC 36 built in, and potential to scale, all at an accessible price point for all players involved.

AES has since installed 75F in sites ranging from Canal Park Stadium — home to the RubberDucks baseball team — to a network of city fire stations. At each location, AES can leverage 75F’s user portal, Facilisight, to remotely monitor their customers’ buildings and diagnose problems without having to leave their office. Depending on the severity of the issue, AES may also make remote adjustments to solve site problems as well.

For example, the city’s fire stations operated relatively cold prior to having 75F installed. After the installation, the system setpoint was configured to a more normal temperature, leading occupants to believe there was something wrong with the building system because it was warmer in the space than usual. AES was able to remotely confirm building systems and equipment were operating normally and that the issue was just a matter of setpoint preference, saving a trip out to troubleshoot a simple problem.

AES has improved air quality and lowered energy use with simple and scalable economizer control. At Canal Park, the park’s system was previously either open or closed, leading to high energy bills and poorly optimized airflow. By installing 75F’s Outside Air Optimization, AES immediately reduced technician calls and occupant discomfort. This has resulted in an annual cost reduction of 19% across their HVAC business at the site. Better yet, AES installed 75F for 8 to 10X less than other control systems available on the market.