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National Grid Partners

Where some can only conceive of building a greener future through new construction, new approaches to sustainability to see commercial real estate (CRE) as an important target for cleaner energy. 

Centinel’s, formerly known as Carbon Lighthouse, Efficiency Production service and patented AI technology platform, CLUES®, reduce carbon emissions and improve operational efficiency in commercial building portfolios. IoT sensors and AI-powered software – not expensive capital upgrades – allow Centinel to unlock hidden returns in existing building mechanical systems and turn energy efficiency into tangible long-term savings.

What’s the story?

“While cutting-edge ‘green’ buildings often receive more attention in the real estate space, the vast majority of the buildings we will all be living and working in over the next half century have already been built. Centinel is hardware- and software-agnostic, which means whatever system is in the building, we can evaluate it and determine how to optimize those systems to balance tenant comfort with energy and carbon reduction goals.” 

After joining the National Grid Partners' portfolio in 2019, Centinel began working to bring energy savings to National Grid’s business customers. Because Centinel enables companies to view more data at more frequent intervals and provide granular insight into factors that impact energy consumption (from weather to occupancy to equipment use), National Grid Partners saw an opportunity to test out their capabilities at National Grid’s own Greenpoint facility in Brooklyn, NY. 

The mixed-use scenario at Greenpoint poses unique challenges for energy efficiency, and the bar is raised even higher in a city that aims to be a world leader in sustainability. Centinel has proven up to the challenge. It is helping National Grid go beyond relatively straightforward improvements like installing LED lights or tuning up a boiler unit. The Efficiency Production solution reveals “hidden efficiencies” in the facility’s cooling and heating processes, measures that can be discovered by looking at usage patterns on a large scale.

By working with Centinel at its Greenpoint facility, National Grid could potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the project and reduce carbon emissions by 1200 tons, the equivalent of more than a million pounds of coal from being burned. 

What works in Greenpoint promises one day to boost efficiency in all of Centinel’s customers across the country. 

The Carbon Lighthouse Use Case

Potentially saves the equivalent of keeping 1200 tons of coal from being burned through their Greenpoint project. 

Draws from over a decade of data across more than 100 million square feet of buildings to find energy savings opportunities for US commercial real estate.

Centinel and National Grid Partners see efficiency in existing buildings

Centinel: Generating sustainability in commercial real estate