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Introduction
Through CIM’s Partner Program, a leading energy infrastructure solutions provider partnered closely with CIM to deploy the PEAK Platform, CIM’s AI-powered fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) software, across a pilot group of K-12 school buildings for a large school district on the US west coast. As part of the engagement, CIM worked directly with the provider’s technical and delivery teams to enable rapid analytics deployment, normalize complex building data, and establish a scalable operational workflow. The deployment at the school district represents a natural extension of a partner-led delivery model, bringing advanced analytics capabilities to the provider’s public-sector client base.
Within six months of launch, the pilot delivered strong results, centred around three core value drivers: rapid time to value, portfolio-wide visibility and accountability, and a more effective workflow for identifying and resolving operational faults. The success of the initial five-school deployment has since supported expansion planning across a larger portion of up to 27 of the district’s wider portfolio.
Pilot deployment snapshot
- 5 schools (500,000 sq ft) expanded to 27
- 60 days to achieve full pilot coverage
- 417 HVAC plant assets monitored
- 157 million data points captured annually
- 3,451 FDD rules deployed
- 74 improvement opportunities closed
- 29.5% reduction in energy consumption
Speed to value
Rapid deployment was a key objective for both the provider and their client, the public school district. Through close collaboration with CIM, the platform went live at the first school within approximately two weeks of purchase order, with all five pilot sites fully operational in under 60 days.
This timeline was achieved despite the presence of mixed building automation systems (BAS) and legacy infrastructure common across K-12 portfolios. Once live, the PEAK Platform began processing approximately 402,000 HVAC data points per day, delivering near real-time visibility across all major plant and equipment. From the partner’s delivery perspective, the reliability and speed of deployment stood out. As one Commissioning Engineer involved in the project noted,
“Following a speedy onboarding, the system is helping us identify failures quickly, while significantly reducing the man-hours required to find and diagnose issues.”
This early impact has allowed the teams to move swiftly from deployment into operational improvement, rather than spending months validating integrations or troubleshooting rules.
Portfolio visibility and accountability
The school district operates with a lean facilities team responsible for a large and diverse building portfolio spanning more than 10 million square feet. Through the PEAK Platform, CIM enabled the partner to deliver a single, normalized view of building performance across all pilot sites, consolidating data from multiple systems into one transparent platform.
Facilities staff now have access to real-time and historical insight into HVAC system behavior and utility usage, supporting faster diagnosis and more informed decision-making. This shared visibility also strengthens accountability across the broader service ecosystem, including HVAC, mechanical, electrical, and BAS subcontractors. Performance issues are validated with data, conversations are grounded in evidence, and performance comparisons across sites are straightforward and objective.
Optimized fault detection workflow
Beyond improved visibility and accountability, the deployment established a more effective and scalable workflow for managing faults. HVAC issues are automatically prioritized based on severity and operational impact, allowing limited resources to focus on the most critical problems affecting occupant comfort, equipment health, and building performance.
AI-powered FDD supports faster root cause analysis, reducing time to resolution and lowering reliance on external contractors. During the pilot, nearly 3,500 advanced algorithm-based rules were deployed, ensuring robust coverage. From the partner’s commissioning team, the platform’s reliability and practicality were key differentiators. Another Commissioning Specialist summarized the experience:
“It’s rare that a product just works out of the box. The software has performed exactly as promised and has genuinely strengthened our commissioning and operations toolkit.”
Engagement with the platform has remained strong throughout the pilot, with 74 corrective actions completed as part of the improved workflow.
As a direct result of better fault detection and corrective action, the school district achieved a 29.5% reduction in energy consumption across the five pilot schools. These results were driven by operational improvements such as eliminating unnecessary overnight equipment operation, correcting faulty CO₂ sensors, and optimizing schedules, demonstrating how CIM’s software, delivered through a trusted energy infrastructure partner, has translated into sustainability and operational outcomes for the K-12 facilities.
