Energy efficiency technology company Noveda Technologies is building a following both among higher education facilities and larger enterprises seeking to improve the energy and resource efficiency of their buildings.
The company originally developed its series of energy management and monitoring applications for a specific building in Branchburg, N.J., with a specific focus on optimizing solar panel performance. As the case for energy and resource efficiency across all systems became more obvious, Noveda extended its technology to link into other building systems, including those governing water supply and delivery.
“The idea was to link into multiple systems and provide one view,” said Govi Rao, president and CEO of Noveda, which is based in Branchburg.
This fall, Noveda scored two notable partnerships. The first will see Noveda’s energy monitoring software used within Bayer MaterialScience’s EcoCommercial Building projects. The initiative focuses on the development of commercial buildings in different regions of the world that operate in a net zero state when it comes to energy and emissions. Noveda’s software will be used to help visualize the energy usage and performance in each of the relevant buildings.
A similar focus is behind an alliance Noveda forged with ARAMARK, the facilities management company, to focus on buildings in higher education. The deal calls for the two companies to develop solutions that manage both energy and water consumption. In addition to working on the actual management systems, Noveda will also develop kiosks that will be used to display information about energy and water use. The idea is to encourage behavior changes that will result in better efficiency.
Said Ron Mesaros, vice president of Facility Services for ARAMARK Higher Education:
“This strategic alliance with Noveda will enable our facility managers to monitor and track energy consumption in our partner campuses in real time, as well as engage and educate the entire campus community in environmental stewardship.”
Building managers aren’t tied to their desktops when they use Noveda’s software. In early October, the company released an Apple iPad version of Building EKG, its application for saving energy and water. The software provides an integrated view of electricity, gas, steam, oil and other metrics that are specific to a particular building. It combines the capabilities of Noveda’s individual applications (ala SunFlow Monitor, Carbon Footprint Monitor).
Noveda said that buildings managed with its software save an average of 15 percent on energy and water bills. The mobile application is intended to help facility managers see data when it is more actionable.
Aside from monitoring, Noveda is increasingly focused on the behavioral aspects of improving energy efficiency. As already noted, part of the ARAMARK deal is to provide kiosks so that colleges and universities can encourage competitions across campuses that help build awareness of behavior that sustains resources. Back in July, Noveda bought another company focused on this sort of thing called MakeMeSustainable. Among the things that it acquired was a social media platform that helps promote awareness of energy and water conservations habits.
