PITTSBURGH and FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Direct Energy Business has signed a partnership agreement with BuildingIQ to offer a cloud-based software solution to Direct Energy Business customers to reduce HVAC energy costs and improve the carbon footprint of commercial buildings. The software uses advanced algorithms to learn a building’s patterns and to develop a model to improve the building’s HVAC energy performance.

The software works with a building management system (BMS) to automatically fine tune temperature and pressure set points. The solution is deployed as a web-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) product that continuously obtains data on the local weather forecast, the occupancy for the building, energy prices, tariffs, and demand response signals. Based on these inputs, it runs thousands of simulations to arrive at the most efficient HVAC operating strategy for the next 24 hours.

“This solutions offering will give our larger customers the insights they need to take more control of their energy usage,” said Todd Sandford, head of solutions, Direct Energy Business. “There is little to no upfront capital cost or expense, and the product can reduce HVAC energy expenses, resulting in a positive ROI in just a few months. This is another tool our customers can use for total energy management.”

BuildingIQ said the software delivers automated control, not just reports and graphs, and provides a portal for a single operator to view and manage a portfolio of buildings. In addition, there are sustainability benefits including several additional points for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and up to five additional points for Energy Star.

“When a building installs our Predictive Energy Optimization™ platform, it’s not just the technology they are getting, but also expert monitoring from our team,” said Michael Nark, president and CEO of BuildingIQ. “Our solution closes the loop between gathering data and acting on it, which means freeing up cash flow for Direct Energy Business’ customers. From a business perspective, this low-risk, high-reward strategy for energy savings just makes sense.”

For more information about Direct Energy, please visit www.directenergy.com. For more information about BuildingIQ, visit www.buildingiq.com.

Publication date: 6/16/2014

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