The Woodlands Mall is a bi-level, enclosed shopping center located 30 miles north of Houston. The mall was renovated in 2004 and since then Woodlands has been included in portfolio-wide energy management upgrade plans.
As the Houston area utility had recently instituted peak demand pricing, Woodlands Mall was a prime candidate for a demand reduction pilot. By reducing energy usage in common areas during the utility company's pre-determined peak hours, Woodlands could experience significant overall energy cost reductions.
Serving as the corporate master systems integrator for Woodlands Mall's ownership, Buildings IOT developed a peak demand reduction test system. The system included a solution for automatic demand control for the mall's HVAC system based on electrical consumption. The demand management program uses analytics for system monitoring and notification and provides for automation control.
The project was launched at the apex of Texas summer and with the mall fighting extreme temperatures, the results would be truly telling of its success. Within three days of implementation, Woodlands Mall achieved a peak reduction of approximately 100kW. On average, the project continues to return a monthly energy reduction of 5,000kWh.
Additional development of peak demand prediction and pre-cooling algorithms have provided 30% additional cost savings throughout the life of the project. Based on this pilot program, the owner of Woodlands Mall has expanded it to additional properties across its portfolio.