Demand management at luxury mall

How this Florida mall earned 67% reduction in grid energy purchases

In 2016, Brookfield Properties Retail (BPR) along with Buildings IOT installed a 1.4 MW solar array and control system at Pembroke Lakes Mall, part of a comprehensive efficiency upgrade that included high efficiency HVAC and LED lighting.

BPR and BIOT noticed that on sunny days, solar output exceeded total property demand for significant periods and worked on a solution to optimize this through the control system. Now, they're working on artificial intelligence analytics enhancements to manage grid energy usage.

Both energy management and control systems understand how the building heats up and cools down, allowing real-time adjustments to HVAC set points to match solar production and in turn reduce grid demand. In total, these efforts have earned 67% reduction in grid energy purchases.

Challenges

• Understanding how the building heats up and cools down on a "normal day."
• Adjusting HVAC set points in real time to match solar production.
• Not "missing the mark" and setting a new demand peak.
• Maintaining tenant and shopper comfort.

Successes

• Solar with AI and SkySpark integrations have contributed to 67% reduction in grid energy purchases since 2012.
• Electrical demand curves for HVAC and solar production curves are optimized to pre-cool the property, reducing overall grid energy demand.
• The shopping environment is improved while greenhouse gas and carbon footprint is reduced.