NYSERDA’s Real Time Energy Management (RTEM) program offers 30% cost share for projects that find energy savings on school campuses

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has dedicated $60 million for a cost-sharing program for the installation of energy management software that can help schools take on a proactive approach to building fixes.

The program offers a 30% cost-share incentive to support building energy analysis and control, using software that draws data from building automation systems and programmable to a building’s custom settings.

Schools are eligible for up to $300,000 per electric utility account—which means if there are multiple accounts on one campus due to submetering, that school is eligible for multiple benefits—or $400,000 if a tenant of a building is not the electricity account owner.

As a pre-qualified NYSERDA Real Time Energy Management (RTEM) consultant, GreenerU can help independent schools, colleges, and universities with dedicated availability and expertise to work with campus building staff to complete data extraction and analysis, verify automatic notifications, and deliver the human confirmation that is often necessary when interpreting automated outputs.

GreenerU is a full-service turnkey energy management firm with an exclusive focus on educational institutions. We can help you prepare financial analyses, RFPs, and bid documents, as well as manage energy-efficiency implementation projects.

What is RTEM?

RTEM is a system that consists of hardware, software, and secure internet connectivity that continuously transmits a building’s current and historical performance data to the cloud, provides automated fault detection and diagnostics (FDD), and supports demand response. It is a cutting-edge technology that transforms the way you manage, consume, and buy energy. RTEM systems continuously collect live and historical performance data through a cloud-based or on-site system. That data can be analyzed to uncover optimization opportunities for the site’s energy usage. Sensors, meters, and other equipment, along with data analytics and information services, show how your building or facility is performing at any point, in real time.

The system shifts the focus of a building’s operational staff from one of scheduled maintenance and chasing faults to proactive performance-optimized strategies that apply predictive analytics to building automation. As a result, the organization migrates from treating energy as an operational expense to managing energy as a strategic metric in the health of millions of dollars’ worth of capital assets, including the building itself.

Real-time energy management enhances the productivity of the building’s operational staff, focusing on prevention and optimization. When the unpreventable faults occur, RTEM consultants have access to critical data and the recommendations from advanced analytics vetted by experts to remedy the situation quickly.

RTEM services are delivered by expert consultants such as GreenerU to support building staff in using the RTEM system by delivering actionable insights to improve the efficiency and reliability of building operations. The combination of RTEM system and service has the potential to achieve 15% to 30% in energy savings.

How does GreenerU deploy RTEM?

GreenerU installs software called SkySpark, which alerts building managers to issues with equipment connected to a building automation system by showing a “spark.” If a component of a complex system is not functioning as it was originally intended, building managers have the information they need to pinpoint precisely where anomalies occur and whether further action is needed.

SkySpark combines data streams with pre-programmed logic to identify problems and malfunctions as soon as they happen—before they waste energy or severely impact occupants. Using “if/then” logic and an easy-to-use interface, SkySpark first identifies problem areas and shows a “spark,” an indication of a problem. The spark tells building engineers where to investigate further and make fixes.

GreenerU has deployed SkySpark capabilities on more than 14 million square feet in 275 buildings across 15 school campuses. In one instance, GreenerU was able to identify one instance where two simple fixes to HVAC issues saved one campus more than $127,000 in annual energy costs. Read more here.

Eligibility requirements

Public and private schools that pay into the system benefit charge (SBC) on their electric utility account are eligible for NYSERDA’s RTEM program. If you are unsure of whether your school is eligible to participate, contact GreenerU at info@greeneru.com or 781-209-5670 with the name of your utility company and we will be glad to help.

Visit here for additional information on NYSERDA’s RTEM program.

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