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Public Sector: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Published Date

Powerful software and services provide new insight into energy data and uncover opportunities for efficiency

Schneider Electric is working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to cut utility bills and carbon emissions tied to public transportation in the greater Boston area. Together, the organizations will develop a comprehensive energy management plan and implement technology to help the MBTA reach its goal of reducing energy costs by 12 percent next year.

The fifth-largest transit agency in the nation, the MBTA operates bus, subway, railway, and ferry routes in and around the Boston metro, serving more than 1.35 million riders a day. The amount of power required to run such an extensive operation makes the authority the largest consumer of electricity in Massachusetts. The MBTA currently spends more than $48 million annually on utilities and uses enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.

“Energy-saving opportunities are everywhere. But for sizable organizations such as the T, the challenge is finding those with the greatest return and moving in a coordinated fashion,” said Steve Wilhite, Senior Vice President of Energy and Sustainability Services at Schneider Electric. ”How do you know if the Boylston station is using 15 percent more energy than other, similar subway stops? And what do you do? It takes a system-wide view and the ability to turn data into action.”

Through the partnership, the MBTA will use Schneider Electric’s cloud-based Resource Advisor to visualize, measure, and manage efficiency and sustainability initiatives across its entire footprint — in one single interface. The software will compile and track data from up to 218 energy meters across 45 sites to start. This includes the analysis of both utility and interval data to identify trends, allocate spending and pinpoint efficiency measures to deliver energy savings.

The MBTA will leverage the Performance Analytics Module within Resource Advisor to gain a complete view of all consumption-related interval data streams in near real-time. Analytics captured within this module will help the MBTA to:

  • Benchmark site performance across its portfolio
  • Identify non-optimized stations, equipment, and behavioral inefficiencies
  • Monitor and control consumption to identify anomalies
  • Prioritize energy efficiency projects and validate ROI

The work marks the start of a long-term collaboration that will form the cornerstone of a comprehensive energy-management strategy for the MBTA. The full scope will include aggregating main utility meters and submeters — to get a granular view of where and when energy is used — developing sustainability and renewable energy plans, optimizing utility purchasing, and tracking and improving building performance using tools such as the Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

All the activity and data will flow through Resource Advisor for unified access to information and metrics. This will ultimately allow the MBTA to proactively manage energy use to reduce consumption and save money.