Higher education
Stop heating and cooling empty classrooms.
KenergyAI sits on top of the lighting sensors, class schedules and BMS your campus already owns, and cuts HVAC energy in empty rooms. AI HVAC Controls and Schedule + HVAC Integration are software only, with no construction and no capital project.
Why campuses
Campus rooms fill and empty on a calendar. HVAC rarely follows it.
- The academic calendar
Rooms fill and empty between classes, in the evenings, on weekends, and over winter and summer breaks.
- Stretched capital budgets
Operational measures that run on existing systems don't have to wait in the capital queue.
- Climate goals
CSU (80% below 1990 GHG by 2040, carbon neutral by 2045) and UC (at least 90% below 2019 by 2045). KenergyAI contributes to these goals by cutting HVAC energy. It doesn't deliver them by itself.
Read the policies: CSU path to carbon neutrality, UC climate change policy and CSU sustainability policy (PDF).
Schedule vs. real occupancy
IllustrativeIllustrative example of a floor in the Analytics Dashboard module: which spaces are occupied now, on standby or unoccupied. Example data, not a real campus.
Modules for campuses
Four modules. Deploy one, or combine them.
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Core module AI HVAC Controls
AI Occupancy Based HVAC Controls
AI software that controls your HVAC through your BACnet BMS, using occupancy from networked lighting controls or occupancy sensors.
Where it fits: Buildings with networked lighting controls or occupancy sensors.
35% HVAC energy savings · AI HVAC Controls results
Learn more -
Schedule + HVAC Integration
Classroom Schedule + HVAC Integration
Connects your classroom or event scheduling system to your HVAC. Software only, no sensors.
Where it fits: Classrooms and event spaces with a scheduling system.
True Software Only Solution
Learn more -
Thermostat Control
Occupancy Based Thermostat Control
Occupancy-based control for thermostat-served spaces, using your lighting control sensors, through a Raspberry Pi gateway.
Learn more -
Analytics Dashboard
Energy Savings & Analytics Dashboard
Track, verify and report HVAC energy savings across your buildings.
Where it fits: Measuring and reporting savings.
Learn more
AI Occupancy Based HVAC Controls results
Proof from campuses, measured on California State University buildings.
- 28% less electricity CSUN Lilac Hall
- 64% less natural gas CSUN Lilac Hall
- 3-month payback CSUN Lilac Hall
- 36% less HVAC electricity CSU Dominguez Hills, verified under CalNEXT
Who we serve
CSU and UC campuses, California community colleges and Michigan universities.
Campus customers include CSUN, CSU Dominguez Hills, Sacramento State and the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Policy relevance
Relevant to Title 24, benchmarking and BEPS.
- Title 24 (2025)
New nonresidential spaces permitted on or after Jan 1, 2026 need occupied-standby controls in qualifying spaces. Existing buildings can apply the same idea, setting back HVAC in empty rooms, in software. KenergyAI does not certify or guarantee Title 24 compliance.
- ENERGY STAR, BEPS and LL97
Lower HVAC energy shows up in your benchmarking numbers, including LL97 for any NYC sites. We don't guarantee scores or compliance outcomes.
Questions from campuses
Frequently asked questions.
- Will it affect comfort in occupied classrooms?
- No. The BMS runs comfort whenever rooms are occupied or about to be. At CSUDH, space temperature stayed within about 1°F on matched days.
- Does IT need to approve a cloud service?
- No cloud service is required. KenergyAI runs on-prem on a server or VM on your network.
- Who controls it?
- Your facilities team, with zone or building override from the BMS front end.
- How do we procure it?
- Your campus can buy KenergyAI directly with a standard purchase order. Our team provides a quote and the information your procurement office needs.
Talk to our team about your campus.
Share your BMS, lighting controls and class scheduling system, and we will assess where KenergyAI fits.