How Better Monitoring Is Uncovering HVAC Energy Savings at La Trobe University

Cresstec has completed the first phase of an HVAC optimisation project at La Trobe, working alongside ASM Chilltech and BGIS.

The project began with HDAC monitoring, adding another layer of visibility to an already well-managed HVAC system.

An Installed HDAC Supporting Our Advanced Sensor Suite

The existing controls and operating schedules had been set up correctly. But large HVAC systems have multiple layers of control, local equipment logic and factory default settings.

What the BMS is asking the plant to do is not always the same as what the equipment ultimately does. That is where the additional sensor data became useful.

As part of the project, the site team wanted greater visibility of compressor and circuit power draw as a diagnostic tool. HDAC provided the monitoring and tracking needed to follow that behaviour over time and build a clearer picture of how the plant was operating.

A Composite View of Cresstec's Dashboard Features

The data also picked up behaviour that would have been difficult to see through normal control-system monitoring alone.

This included periods of out of hours operation and occasions where heating and cooling operation overlapped. These were not simply programming errors. In some cases, local equipment settings and control behaviour could override or interact with the intended operating strategy.

Having direct visibility at the equipment level made those interactions easier to identify.

Cresstec worked with the project team to review the findings and provide initial corrective advice.

Operating behaviour was then adjusted to reduce unnecessary run time and improve coordination between the systems. That produced some of the first energy saving benefits from the project.

The project has also generated Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates, with value already recovered through the scheme.

Two REED systems have now been installed and commissioned on site, taking the project into its next phase.

REED Commissioning Work at La Trobe

With the monitoring foundation established, the team is now using REED to optimise refrigerant conditions and track the impact on compressor power and overall system performance.

Early work has already produced encouraging results, and that optimisation program is continuing.

The first phase has shown the value of combining good site management with deeper equipment-level visibility.

The next step is to see how much further the system can be optimised to generate HVAC Energy Savings. We’ll share more as the project progresses.