Smart Building Energy Management System for Commercial Facilities
Challenge
A large property management company overseeing a network of commercial buildings faced growing challenges in optimizing energy usage across its facilities. Each site operated independently, with separate HVAC, lighting, and metering systems, making it difficult to achieve a unified view of performance or detect inefficiencies in real time.
Manual energy data collection was time-consuming and often delayed, preventing facility managers from identifying issues such as excessive peak loads, equipment malfunctions, or unbalanced consumption patterns. Moreover, the absence of automated alerts and analytics limited the ability to implement proactive maintenance or corrective actions.
With sustainability goals becoming a key corporate priority and regulatory pressure increasing, the organization required a centralized IoT-based energy management solution. The new system had to integrate data from over a thousand devices across multiple buildings, support role-based access for different user levels, and provide advanced analytics to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon footprint, and lower operational costs.
A large property management company overseeing a network of commercial buildings faced growing challenges in optimizing energy usage across its facilities. Each site operated independently, with separate HVAC, lighting, and metering systems, making it difficult to achieve a unified view of performance or detect inefficiencies in real time.
Manual energy data collection was time-consuming and often delayed, preventing facility managers from identifying issues such as excessive peak loads, equipment malfunctions, or unbalanced consumption patterns. Moreover, the absence of automated alerts and analytics limited the ability to implement proactive maintenance or corrective actions.
With sustainability goals becoming a key corporate priority and regulatory pressure increasing, the organization required a centralized IoT-based energy management solution. The new system had to integrate data from over a thousand devices across multiple buildings, support role-based access for different user levels, and provide advanced analytics to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon footprint, and lower operational costs.
Solution
The company implemented a comprehensive Building Energy Management System (BEMS) based on ThingsBoard IoT Platform. Over 1,000 connected devices, including smart meters, HVAC controllers, lighting systems, and occupancy sensors - were integrated using protocols such as MQTT and Modbus.
A hierarchical asset structure was designed to reflect the organization’s real-world operations:
Top level: corporate overview with aggregated KPIs for all buildings.
Mid level: individual building dashboards with energy usage, load profiles, and equipment status.
Device level: detailed telemetry and control for each connected asset.
ThingsBoard’s rule chains were used extensively to automate data processing and decision-making. They enabled event-driven alerts for abnormal consumption, automatic control commands for HVAC optimization, and scheduling logic for load balancing between zones. The platform also included multi-tenant support, ensuring that different stakeholders - facility managers, maintenance engineers, and executives - could access the data relevant to their roles.
Real-time analytics were powered by Trendz, providing advanced data visualization, correlation analysis, and predictive insights. Facility teams could track consumption trends, detect anomalies, and evaluate the impact of optimization initiatives in real time. This integration eliminated manual reporting and provided a continuous feedback loop for energy efficiency improvements.
The company implemented a comprehensive Building Energy Management System (BEMS) based on ThingsBoard IoT Platform. Over 1,000 connected devices, including smart meters, HVAC controllers, lighting systems, and occupancy sensors - were integrated using protocols such as MQTT and Modbus.
A hierarchical asset structure was designed to reflect the organization’s real-world operations:
Top level: corporate overview with aggregated KPIs for all buildings.
Mid level: individual building dashboards with energy usage, load profiles, and equipment status.
Device level: detailed telemetry and control for each connected asset.
ThingsBoard’s rule chains were used extensively to automate data processing and decision-making. They enabled event-driven alerts for abnormal consumption, automatic control commands for HVAC optimization, and scheduling logic for load balancing between zones. The platform also included multi-tenant support, ensuring that different stakeholders - facility managers, maintenance engineers, and executives - could access the data relevant to their roles.
Real-time analytics were powered by Trendz, providing advanced data visualization, correlation analysis, and predictive insights. Facility teams could track consumption trends, detect anomalies, and evaluate the impact of optimization initiatives in real time. This integration eliminated manual reporting and provided a continuous feedback loop for energy efficiency improvements.
Results
The implementation of the ThingsBoard-based BEMS transformed the company’s approach to energy management. Within six months, the platform successfully unified more than 1,000 devices across multiple sites, delivering a single, transparent view of energy consumption and system performance.
Key outcomes included:
- 15% reduction in total energy consumption within the first six months due to automated scheduling and anomaly detection.
- Centralized visibility across all facilities, enabling rapid identification of underperforming equipment and energy-intensive zones.
- Real-time analytics with Trendz empowered management to make data-driven decisions and simulate the impact of proposed optimizations before implementation.
- Automated reporting and compliance tracking reduced administrative workload by more than 50%.
The organization established a scalable foundation for future expansion - ready to include additional sites, renewable energy sources, and predictive maintenance capabilities. The new solution not only optimized energy usage but also supported the company’s long-term sustainability and ESG commitments.
The implementation of the ThingsBoard-based BEMS transformed the company’s approach to energy management. Within six months, the platform successfully unified more than 1,000 devices across multiple sites, delivering a single, transparent view of energy consumption and system performance.
Key outcomes included:
- 15% reduction in total energy consumption within the first six months due to automated scheduling and anomaly detection.
- Centralized visibility across all facilities, enabling rapid identification of underperforming equipment and energy-intensive zones.
- Real-time analytics with Trendz empowered management to make data-driven decisions and simulate the impact of proposed optimizations before implementation.
- Automated reporting and compliance tracking reduced administrative workload by more than 50%.
The organization established a scalable foundation for future expansion - ready to include additional sites, renewable energy sources, and predictive maintenance capabilities. The new solution not only optimized energy usage but also supported the company’s long-term sustainability and ESG commitments.