A case study of a mid-Atlantic university, to determine the scale of energy savings possible if HVAC is aligned with a room reservation system for one floor of one mixed use university building.
College campuses have been reshaped since the coronavirus pandemic, leaving buildings even more underutilized than before March 2020. The number of faculty, students, and staff that are on campus daily has dropped significantly and the current Building Automation System (BAS) settings for maintaining comfort do not match the new occupancy patterns.
The typical college campus operates on a schedule of M-F, 6a-10p, independent of scheduled events or occupancy changes, which leaves a significant number of these rooms maintained at comfort settings while unoccupied. There is an opportunity to adjust BAS settings and reduce energy usage during these unoccupied hours.