Leveraging Centralized Data Analysis and Fault Detection using BalanceCx to target energy waste Across Campus Buildings

Project Overview:

Pasco School District engaged EEI to assist in the upcoming compliance deadlines with the Washington State Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). Once Benchmarking was performed and various facility audits were performed to get a collective view of the districts systems, BalanceCx was deployed to assist in optimizing the districts controls. The goal was to consolidate diverse data streams into a single interface, apply advanced fault detection and diagnostics, and streamline both ongoing maintenance and operational decision-making.

Challenges:

• Fragmented Data Sources: Campus environments often use multiple building
  automation systems, making it difficult for facilities managers to obtain a unified view of
  HVAC performance. Data was siloed, limiting the ability to identify broad trends or systemic
  issues.
• Resource Constraints: Facilities teams are frequently understaffed, juggling urgent
  repairs, routine maintenance, capital projects, and administrative tasks. Without a strategic
  way to prioritize issues, important energy-saving opportunities and comfort improvements
  could be overlooked.
• Seasonal Transitions: As colder weather set in, the need to confirm proper heating
  operation across all buildings increased. Manual checks were time-consuming, prone to
  oversight, and often reactive rather than proactive. BalanceCx makes it easy to verify
  heating performance of all systems on the first cold weather day of the year.

BalanceCx Solutions:

Unified Data Integration:

BalanceCx integrated with Energy Star Portfolio Manager, BACnet devices and other building systems, consolidating data from all campus buildings into one cloud-based platform. This enabled the facilities team to easily compare equipment performance and identify campus-wide trends without juggling multiple interfaces.

Energy Usage Tracking

With many schools each having different EUI targets and compliance deadlines, the BalanceCx Energy Star Portfolio Manager integration was used to keep all energy performance data up to date in a single dashboard. The BalanceCx target tracker tool shows each school’s performance compared to its EUI target, quickly identifying schools that may have energy waste issues.

Fault Detection and Diagnostics:

BalanceCx’s automated fault detection analyzed the consolidated data and generated weekly reports listing the most pressing issues across all eight buildings. These prioritized lists helped the facilities team direct their limited resources where they mattered most, focusing on critical systems first and addressing common issues that provided the greatest return on investment.

Results:

• Operational Efficiency: By centralizing data, the facilities team gained a powerful decision-making tool. Instead of working through multiple interfaces and spreadsheets, they accessed all building information in one place, significantly reducing the time required for performance assessments.
• Strategic Prioritization of Workload: The weekly fault and issue reports ensured that the team focused its limited resources on the most impactful problems first, improving overall building performance and occupant comfort. BalanceCx provided critical information for teams to identify needed repairs, many AHU sequences were being affected by ‘rogue zones’ that are now easily identified in BalanceCx.
• Streamlined Seasonal Adjustments: During the critical winter season, BalanceCx’s data-driven testing approach enabled faster diagnosis of heating-related issues. This proactive method saved labor hours and minimized downtime.

The implementation of BalanceCx at Pasco Schol District is assisting the facilities management process to target low cost and effective savings opportunities that also improve the facilities performance. By consolidating data, offering automated fault detection, and providing clear prioritization guidelines, the facilities team could focus on what truly mattered—delivering efficient, comfortable, and well-maintained environments across the campus.