News & Insights

Colleges and universities are being asked to do more with less. With rising operating costs, shifting student needs, and tighter budgets, facilities leaders must stretch every dollar while also preparing campuses for what’s next.

The good news? The data already exists to support smarter, more strategic campus facility decisions. The challenge is knowing how to interpret it—and how to act on it.

From real-time monitoring to commissioning strategies, here are lessons learned from working with hundreds of campuses across North America about using data to reduce costs, improve performance, and extend the life of campus infrastructure.

Shifting strategies: building for contraction as well as growth

Historically, campus facility master plans were designed around growth. Today, many institutions are rethinking their footprint. Hybrid learning, declining student populations, and evolving space needs have changed how square footage is used. This creates a new challenge for facilities leaders: how to align energy systems and infrastructure planning with a future that may include both expansion and contraction.

Data makes that possible. It helps institutions not only understand current usage but also forecast future needs, uncover inefficiencies, and reprioritize upgrades accordingly.

For example, understanding building-level occupancy and utilization trends can reveal underused spaces that still draw full heating, cooling, and ventilation loads. Identifying those patterns enables targeted reallocation or scheduling changes that reduce operating costs without compromising user experience. Likewise, enrollment-driven projections can help universities plan for phased shutdowns or repurposing of aging facilities that no longer meet programmatic needs.

These are the kinds of strategic insights that turn facilities planning into a proactive, data-informed process instead of a reactive response to budget pressure.

Getting granular on energy: where most campuses stop short

Most schools track their utility bills, but that’s often where energy data collection ends. There is real value in going deeper. Building-level metering and submetering uncover how energy is being distributed and used, down to specific buildings or systems.

Campuses have dramatically reduced operating costs simply by identifying what happens after energy enters the system. Where is it being lost? What systems are running during off-hours? Are redundancies creating false readings or unnecessary costs?

The insights that emerge at this level reveal opportunities for operational improvements that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Energy modeling provides a virtual look at how a building performs, delivering strategic data for planning upgrades, forecasting returns, and prioritizing investments. This can help campuses identify mismatches between building age and performance expectations. In one case, a school added high-performance buildings to its portfolio but saw no reduction in energy use. Why? Because those buildings weren’t optimized post-construction.

With the right modeling approach, institutions can validate assumptions, benchmark performance, and guide decisions with confidence.

Building automation systems: from monitoring to action

Most campuses already have a building automation system (BAS) in place. The technology isn’t new, but the way it’s used can make all the difference. BAS platforms are often underleveraged, operating in a reactive mode that tracks performance but doesn’t influence it.

Used strategically, BAS becomes a tool for shaping demand curves, reducing peak loads, and optimizing system behavior in real time. It supports actions like chilled water resets, seasonal programming, and occupancy-based ventilation adjustments that can generate meaningful savings without adding infrastructure.

The opportunity isn’t just in having the data; it’s in using it to guide smarter operations. That shift from passive monitoring to active optimization is where the real value lies.

A BAS can help campuses avoid expensive equipment upgrades simply by optimizing existing systems through automation. The key is moving beyond reactive use to proactive strategy, which requires both visibility and a plan.

Many campuses have strong BAS systems but lack the staff capacity to continuously review and optimize them. In these cases, even a small investment in third-party insight can go a long way. By reviewing trends and performance data once a year—even on a limited number of high-use buildings or labs—facilities teams can catch issues early and prevent expensive failures later.

Most of the time, it doesn’t take a full overhaul to shift the strategy. It just takes making data part of the conversation.

Existing building commissioning: unlocking performance

Existing building commissioning (EBx) is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve building performance. It involves tuning up existing systems to operate as designed—or better—and is especially valuable for older buildings or those with inconsistent performance.

A practical starting point is reviewing building automation system trends to identify systems that are drifting from design intent. Sometimes, the fix is simple: reprogramming temperature setpoints during unoccupied hours, for example. Other times, it’s more complex, such as spotting airflow anomalies that point to malfunctioning controls.

These are not speculative improvements. They’re targeted, data-driven actions that can quickly enhance energy efficiency, system reliability, and occupant comfort.

On many campuses, facilities upgrades must draw from multiple budget buckets, each managed by a different department. Getting funding requires telling the right story to the right audience. A commissioning effort can provide that story, backed by data that clarifies priorities and accelerates buy-in.

Avoiding data overload: how Salas O’Brien can help

Rather than chasing every metric, Salas O’Brien helps clients focus on the 20% of data that supports 80% of decisions. That discipline is what turns data from an overwhelming flood into an actionable asset.

Where to focus? The answer depends on your goal.

If the objective is reducing gas consumption, for example, the most valuable data may already exist. There’s no need to install a new system just to validate what utility bills already confirm. On the other hand, if you need to troubleshoot an unexplained spike in energy use, more granular, real-time data may be worth the investment.

We deliver consulting services with reports tailored to the audience and focused on actionable insights, resulting in shorter timelines, aligned budgets, and forward motion with less friction.

Reach out to our team to talk about your project.

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