Case Studies & Whitepapers
CASE STUDY
MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Magnolia selected ENGIE Services U.S. to develop and deliver a districtwide sustainable energy program that is expected to save over $14 million in energy costs over the life of the project. The comprehensive program included new HVAC units, HVAC/lighting controls, solar shade structures, and plug load management.
During the Investment Grade Audit (IGA), BERT® identified over 500 devices, including vending machines, printers, copiers, projectors, and smartboards, throughout the district’s nine schools that could be turned off nights and weekends. Using exclusive data from years of plug load energy management along with the detailed audit data from the schools, BERT engineers calculated that the district could save almost 52,000 kWh annually. Based on the savings estimate, Magnolia and ENGIE moved forward with BERT, ordering 520 BERT Smart Plugs.
OPPORTUNITY
Eliminate the overnight load from plug load devices.
RESULTS
31%
Baseline Load Reduction
69,901
Annual kWh Savings
CASE STUDY
SOLDIER FIELD
Soldier Field and the Chicago Park District were awarded LEED-EB certification for an existing building from the U.S. Green Building Council. The stadium was the first North American stadium and first NFL stadium to earn the prestigious award.
Working together, Soldier Field, SMG, and the Chicago Park District implemented energy conservation and recycling programs along with the use of green cleaning chemicals and the reuse of construction materials at the stadium. In the press release about the LEED certification, Chicago Park District General Superintendent Mike Kelly says, “It is the responsibility of the Soldier Field family and its patrons to decrease the impact of the stadium on its environment whenever possible.”
OPPORTUNITY
Soldier Field needed a solution to remotely control plug load devices in the stadium’s luxury suites.
RESULTS
$24,000
Annual Labor Savings
CASE STUDY
WATERBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Faced with an inefficient energy-related infrastructure, Waterbury Public Schools (WPS) sought to prioritize and implement critically needed energy savings measures as quickly as possible.
The Waterbury Public School (WPS) district selected NORESCO, a national leader in energy efficiency and energy infrastructure solutions, as its Qualified Energy Service Provider (ESCO). The $30 million performance contract included plug load control, new boilers and chillers, energy management system upgrades, and lighting retrofits/replacements.
Offering the ideal combination of quick payback and rapid implementation, the BERT® plug load management system was one of the first Energy Savings Measures (ESMs) to be completed at WPS.
OPPORTUNITY
WPS wanted energy savings measures with quick paybacks and rapid deployment.
RESULTS
3x
BERT’s plug load Energy Savings Measure (ESM) had the quickest payback, over three times faster than the project average.
CASE STUDY
HOKE COUNTY SCHOOLS
Hoke County Schools (HCS) chose Brady Trane, a family-owned corporation providing single-source building and energy service solutions, for a $6.2 million performance contract. The service agreement includes the BERT® plug load management system along with new chillers, advanced environmental controls, tankless water fountains, weatherization improvements, and new LED lighting.
Due to BERT’s unique ability to measure actual energy usage in real time, the district installed 638 BERT 110 M Smart Plugs in 12 of the district’s schools and in the Board of Education building. According to Charles Tapp, Executive Director of Facilities at HCS, “We implemented BERT so we would have immediate visibility into the plug load usage in our schools.”
OPPORTUNITY
HCS needed a plug-load measurement, analysis, and control solution providing real-time energy usage data and comprehensive scheduling and reporting tools.
RESULTS
90,000
Annual kWh Savings
CASE STUDY
FAIRFIELD AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
The district hired Siemens Building Technologies, a performance contracting market leader. Besides implementing major lighting and chiller upgrades and building envelope improvements, Siemens installed BERT® devices for plug load control.
Devices such as classroom electronics, break room and office equipment, vending machines, and charging carts consume power 24/7, even when placed in standby mode. BERT eliminates this load by turning devices off during nights, weekends, and holidays when buildings are not in use. This translates into real savings because schools and other commercial buildings are unoccupied many more hours per year than they are open.
BERT is ideal for districts like FASD since their buildings are only occupied about 35 percent of the time. Using BERT, devices are now turned off more than 5,700 hours each year.
OPPORTUNITY
FASD wanted to save money by turning plug load devices off during nights and weekends when buildings are not occupied.
RESULTS
65%
Standby Load Reduction
Whitepaper
Air Cleaner Control with Metasys® Integration
School districts and other commercial buildings with air cleaners cut operating expenses by half, while achieving clean air delivery targets using BERT’s Plug Load Control Solution integrated into Metasys®. Air cleaners are controlled and monitored in coordination with other large building loads, including the Central AHU. Metasys automatically turns units off when buildings are empty and restarts them before staff arrives in the morning. In addition, the reduction in operating hours extends product life and defers HEPA filter replacements – leading to additional savings.
A typical school district with 2,500 850 CFM air cleaners scheduled off nights and weekends, saves over $1,787,500. The estimated payback is under 4 months, without taking filter savings into consideration.
RESULTS
64%
Reduction in Annual Electrical Expense (assuming 3,132 operating hours/year)
11,171,875
Annual kWh Savings
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© BERT 2025, All Rights Reserved
489 Devon Park Drive, Suite 302
Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087
© BERT 2025, All Rights Reserved
489 Devon Park Drive, Suite 302
Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087