How a MIT Research Laboratory Implemented Clockworks to Achieve $286,000 in Annual Savings

June 9, 2016

When you think of a research laboratory, you probably think about a lot of data, a lot of brainpower, and some of the most innovative discoveries made by humankind to date. Behind all of this incredible work is the energy that powers laboratories and all of their state-of-the-art equipment.

In the case of a 450,000 square foot MIT research laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, energy costs were increasing, and, as a result, they were missing out on major utility program incentives. To get back on track and uncover the issues causing an escalation in energy inefficiency, MIT’s research laboratory implemented KGS Buildings’ flagship software, Clockworks, to automate their building diagnostics and uncover significant cost savings. In just one year, the MIT research laboratory realized $286,000 in validated annual savings and $50,000 in utility incentives.

Sound like the kind of savings you hope to achieve across your buildings?

How MIT Implemented Clockworks   

MIT’s facility operations team implemented Clockworks across the entire laboratory, including within their 10 ventilation units (containing an impressive 50,000 CFM capacity), as well as several hundred variable air volume (VAV) boxes. Working with the insights Clockworks provided, the team was able to quickly identify and prioritize several major problems, including:

• Simultaneous heating and cooling that was costing them up to $2,200/week during the winter season, leading to an annual total of $61,400 in unnecessary costs.
• Leaking preheating coil valve in a major air handler from an overridden valve that was costing them $137,000 annually.
• Reduced heating load across the VAV system due to 200 reheat valves leaking from corrosion, which was costing them $87,600 annually.

With Clockworks’ ability to leverage the cloud to connect building automation systems across an unlimited amount of systems, it provided the team with prioritized and comprehensive diagnostics to improve the laboratory’s performance and reduce HVAC costs. Clockworks’ automated approach to building analytics now enables the team to quickly identify the underlying cause of issues, such as simultaneous heating and cooling or leaking valves.

Working alongside Clockworks, MIT’s in-house facility operations team can proactively monitor for operational inefficiencies, energy savings opportunities, and maintenance priorities. By implementing such significant improvements across the laboratory, they were also able to achieve a $50,000 energy incentive. With prioritized insights available to them when they need it, the team can better direct their efforts towards the highest-impact improvements (the ones that save the most energy and money).

Want to learn more about how we were able to accomplish these results?

Download the Clockworks MIT Research Laboratory Case Study