KEY CHALLENGE #2:

Embracing Energy Management

TODAY’S KEY CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER ED FACILITIES MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS(...AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM)

Higher Ed Facilities Management Survey Key Challenge #2

Key Challenge #2: Facing Higher Ed Facilities Management Professionals2

In June 2012, facilities professionals

serving colleges and universities across

North America were invited to take part

in an extensive facilities management

survey. From the results, six key challenges

that facilities and maintenance personnel

are facing today have been identified. In

this series of reports, SchoolDude focuses

on these six challenges and how to

overcome them.

KEY CHALLENGE #2: Embracing Energy Management

It’s often said that time is money.

To facilities and maintenance directors serving institutions of higher learning across North America, electricity is money. Heating and cooling is money. Lighting is money. And yes, time spent dealing with these concerns is money.

Fluctuating energy costs are often unpredictable, but what is certain is that those costs eat up a significant portion of your budget. Adding to the energy management headaches is the fact that campus buildings are getting older. The outdated or antiquated systems which support them make it that much harder to minimize energy usage and increase efficiencies. To help better understand usage and find ways to significantly reduce consumption, many colleges and universities are turning to Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) to assist with managing and tracking energy usage, as well as helping guide conservation and efficiency efforts.

Survey participants indicated that, in general, their CMMS was helpful in their energy management efforts. While 78 percent of those surveyed represented the facilities and maintenance departments at their college or university, an additional six percent of respondents had direct responsibility for energy management. Nearly one-quarter of all respondents are currently using a CMMS specifically designed for utility tracking and energy management, while another 64 percent plan to implement such a module within the next three years.

When selecting a CMMS vendor for utility and energy management, specific areas of focus should include ease of use combined with wide-ranging functionality,

SIX KEY CHALLENGES:

#1: Do More with Less

#2: Embracing Energy Management

#3: Expanding Cloud-Based Tools

#4: Evidence-Based Maintenance

#5: Increased Classroom Technology

#6: Maintenance Going Mobile

Energy-inefficient schools use up to three times more energy than energy-efficient ones

ENERGY INEFFICIENT

ENERGY EFFICIENT

THE HIGH COST OF INEFFICIENT CAMPUS BUILDINGS

Key Challenge #2: Facing Higher Ed Facilities Management Professionals3

extensive reporting capabilities, integration with Building Automation Systems (BAS) and other systems, and superior customer support.

Ease of Use/FunctionalityTo obtain substantial productivity gains from a CMMS, ease of use is a significant consideration. However, if being easy to use is the developer’s top priority, such a system may be lacking in capabilities and features. Typically, university facilities departments can’t afford to take staff members off their jobs for extensive training on the use of complicated software. The best CMMS offerings provide a powerful set of tools for users, while being sufficiently intuitive to provide users with maximum functionality and a minimal investment of training time.

Among all of the CMMS vendors featured in the survey, SchoolDude rated highest among users for its balance of strong functionality and ease of use, with 89 percent of users stating that the system was simple, straightforward, and provided the right level of functionality versus complexity.

Reporting CapabilitiesAn energy management system should collect valuable data that allows you to create informative reports, either on a building-by-building basis or on a campus or multi-campus level. The information generated can be used to direct admin-istrative decision-making, with a focus on areas where significant gains can be attained and how to prioritize spending to achieve these gains. These reports should also identify areas or buildings with serious energy usage excesses and be used as a basis for proactive plans to resolve consumption and conservation issues.

To demonstrate that your department is monitoring energy use and reducing costs, your CMMS has to provide strong reporting and tracking capabilities. Those capabilities should also be intuitive, making it easy to generate useful, relevant, and accurate reports. Among the vendors noted in the survey, 85 percent of SchoolDude users are satisfied with their reporting capabilities. In addition, SchoolDude’s reporting features received the highest rating among all vendors for ease of use.

System IntegrationA CMMS-based energy management system allows you to build a usage database, which can be shared with energy monitoring programs, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR. Portfolio Manager, a free interactive energy management tool provided by ENERGY STAR, allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption across your entire portfolio of buildings in a secure online environment. Your energy management system

89% USERS RATED SCHOOLDUDE HIGHEST IN STRONG FUNCTIONALITY

AND EASE OF USE

SCHOOLDUDE HIGHEST IN FUNCTIONALITY & EASE OF USE

89%

Key Challenge #2: Facing Higher Ed Facilities Management Professionals4

should integrate directly with Portfolio Manager in order to enhance the benefits provided by both products. SchoolDude, as a top-ranked ENERGY STAR partner for education, provides direct integration with Portfolio Manager.

In addition, many campuses use Building Automation Systems to control lighting and HVAC usage in their buildings. Combining the control features of a BAS with the management capabilities of a CMMS multiplies the effects of both and allows you to be more proactive in your energy management efforts. Across all points of BAS integration noted in the survey, SchoolDude provided the highest overall level of integration.

Vendor SupportThe most capable, feature-rich system money can buy provides little value if you can’t get an answer when you have a question, when things don’t go as expected, or when you need to address a unique concern. Your CMMS vendor should provide prompt, helpful, and responsive customer service. It should also provide full support during installation and implementation, complete training, timely upgrades, and useful improvements delivered on a regular basis.

The Higher Education Facility Management Survey measured customer satisfaction across six different categories:

• Customer Service

• Installation Support

• Responsiveness

• Training

• Product Upgrades

• Product Enhancements

The ratings given to SchoolDude were among the highest in each of the six service categories included in the survey. In addition, by more than a 2-to-1 margin, respondents said that SchoolDude addresses the needs of higher education better than any other vendor.

Survey ConclusionsThe economic pressures of the last few years have had a dramatic impact on higher education institutions across North America. While numerous institutions have been impacted by flat or declining state budgets, many colleges and univer-sities have also experienced an increase in enrollment from displaced workers that have elected to go back to school to enhance their career options. Energy use is an area where proactive management can yield significant cost reductions and improved efficiencies when relevant usage data can be easily obtained.

As a necessary cost-saving measure, colleges and universities need tools to manage energy consumption and conservation efforts. Implementing a

2:1

SCHOOLDUDE PREFERRED OVER OTHER CMMS VENDORS

FOR HIGHER ED BY 2:1

SCHOOLDUDE CONSIDERED FEATURE-RICH

ENERGY STAR and ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager are registered trademarks

owned by the U.S. government.

Key Challenge #2: Facing Higher Ed Facilities Management Professionals5

full-featured, easy-to-use CMMS-based energy management system provides greater understanding and awareness of energy usage. The information generated allows colleges and universities to track energy usage and integrate the data with other systems, while strong reporting functionality demonstrates the success of efficiency and conservation efforts to administrators, staff, and the public.

About the SurveyIn June 2012, over 300 facilities and maintenance personnel supporting institutions of Higher Education took part in a survey conducted by STS Research Advisors, an independent research firm. The complete 2012 Higher Education Facilities Management Survey Results Report is available as a download from SchoolDude. All percentages and statistics cited in this report are from the survey findings unless otherwise indicated.

Download: 2012 Higher Ed Schools Facilities Management Survey Results Report

ABOUT SCHOOLDUDE

Founded in 1999, SchoolDude has served as the market leader in education enterprise asset management for the past 13 years with over 1 million education professionals using our solutions. We deliver cloud-based solutions to help both small and large institutions better manage their facilities, IT and business operations. We help clients save time and money by managing support services effectively and efficiently, allowing institutions to provide a safe teaching and learning environment. Today, we’re the #1 platform of cloud solutions for public and private schools, colleges and universities. Visit us at schooldude.com or give us a call at 877-868-3833 to learn more.

Copyright 2013 © 1.877.868.3833 | sales@schooldude.com | www.schooldude.com

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