How an Aerospace Energy Manager Turned Building Data into ROI

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

When an energy and sustainability manager inherited a sprawling U.S. operations portfolio at a global aerospace client, she faced a familiar problem: distributed buildings, limited visibility, and mounting pressure to deliver on both energy savings and sustainability targets. 

What she built next is a blueprint for any facilities professional ready to move from reactive maintenance to measurable ROI. 

The Reality Check: When Traditional Tools Fall Short 

Her portfolio spans multiple critical facilities across the U.S., including manufacturing and office environments. The manufacturing operations are particularly demanding, with processes that require exact temperature control around the clock, even during off shifts. 

“The manufacturing processes are very sensitive to temperature,” she said. “Even though the space may not be occupied 24 hours a day because operations may run only one or two shifts, the parts still must maintain that temperature.” 

When she first started managing the sites, she was using a building management solution provided by the HVAC equipment manufacturer. As with many traditional building management systems, the alarms were generating alerts, but they weren’t providing the actionable intelligence needed to prevent problems or optimize performance. “It didn’t have analytics at all,” she explained. 

The turning point came when she began using a fault detection and diagnostics solution that had already been implemented within the organization.

The Discovery Phase: Uncovering Hidden Inefficiencies 

Within the first six months of using the analytics platform, she uncovered system-wide issues that had been invisible to traditional monitoring approaches. “We had a lot of VAV boxes equipped with hot water reheating coils, and the platform showed that the hot water valves were all failing,” she recalled. “They were stuck open and leaking by, allowing uncontrolled heating. It was a big remediation project.” 

This discovery illustrates a significant advantage of fault detection and diagnostics (FDD): the ability to identify problems before they become expensive failures.  

Making the Business Case: From Data to Dollars 

For facility managers struggling to secure capital funding, this approach offers a proven blueprint. Before implementing analytics, building compelling business cases often meant relying on estimates and hoping executives would trust professional judgment over hard numbers. 

She changed this dynamic by using the platform’s diagnostic capabilities to build data-driven proposals. “It was easier to get funding for projects because we were able to put a comprehensive package together that clearly showed: here’s what’s happening in your buildings, here’s how much energy and money these issues are costing you, here’s what it will cost to fix them, so here’s your return on investment,” she explained. 

The financial results speak for themselves. She consistently achieves substantial returns, noting that “the program pays itself 10 times over each year.” But perhaps more compelling are the immediate wins that demonstrate real-time value. During a recent heat wave, she noticed through the platform that fans were still running at maximum capacity after conditions had cooled. 

“We had extreme heat recently, so the fans were running 100% to keep up with cooling demand. Once it cooled off, I sent the technician an email saying, “These fans are still 100%. It’s cooled off now; can we adjust them down?” He got back to me and said he was able to reduce the speed on five of them, which resulted in significant energy savings,” she recounted. 

Beyond Energy: Expanding into Operational Excellence 

What sets this approach apart is how the analytics platform evolved from an energy management tool into a comprehensive operational platform that supports facilities management and maintenance optimization across a complex manufacturing environment. 

Revolutionizing Maintenance Through Data The energy manager pioneered condition-based maintenance programs that eliminate the guesswork from critical system upkeep. By installing ultrasonic sensors on fan bearings—components that represent single points of failure capable of shutting down entire air handling systems—she transformed maintenance from a calendar-driven process to a data-driven science. 

Rather than greasing bearings on arbitrary schedules, the facilities team now monitors actual bearing condition through the analytics platform, lubricating only when sensors indicate the need. The same principle applies to filter changes, where differential pressure readings determine replacement timing based on actual performance rather than estimated schedules. This approach not only reduces maintenance costs but also prevents unexpected equipment failures in temperature-sensitive manufacturing environments. 

Streamlined Executive Reporting She also leveraged the platform’s flexibility to create custom dashboards that transform technical data into executive-ready insights. Her monthly reports show completed tasks and quantified savings, while specialized dashboards provide targeted views for different stakeholder groups. This reporting capability has proven essential as her responsibilities expanded, allowing her to maintain comprehensive oversight. 

Strategic Partnership Approach  
Perhaps most importantly, she treats the analytics provider as a strategic partner, not just a software solution. Recurring optimization calls with the support team help identify overlooked issues and opportunities: “I have a recurring call with our site technicians and the provider’s service team, and we go through aging tasks to keep projects on track.” 

The Competitive Advantage 

In an industry where energy managers and sustainability professionals face increasing pressure to achieve outcomes while controlling costs, these results demonstrate that fault detection and diagnostics isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive necessity. 

“The platform is working. It does an amazing job,” she summarized. “We look at it as a partner, not just a tool, to help us achieve our goals.” 

The Path Forward 

For operations managers, facility directors, and sustainability professionals evaluating their next move, this experience offers a clear roadmap: invest in building analytics that provide true diagnostics, not just detection. Establish regular optimization processes. Treat your analytics platform as a strategic partner. And most importantly, focus on functionality that delivers measurable business results. 

The transition from reactive to proactive building operations isn’t just possible—it’s profitable. This success story proves that the right approach to building analytics doesn’t just advance sustainability goals; it can become a significant contributor to the bottom line. 

This case study highlights how a sustainability and operations leader used building analytics to improve performance, quantify savings, and support energy efficiency objectives across a complex facilities portfolio.

See What’s Possible with Clockworks’ FDD 

Aerospace clients across the globe are using FDD to identify issues earlier, reduce reactive work, and bring clarity to capital planning decisions.  

Request a demo today to see how Clockworks helps Aerospace teams turn building data into action and make the shift to proactive maintenance.