WegoWise Identifies $137 Million in Energy Savings for Mass Save

BOSTON, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- WegoWise, a leading building performance analytics provider, has announced that in 2011 it identified $137 million in lifetime energy savings for Mass Save's Low Income Multifamily Program, which invests in energy efficiency upgrades in low income housing facilities across Massachusetts. This multi-year program is being implemented by the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) and the Mass Save sponsors, who have used the WegoWise platform to track and benchmark energy and water use at more than 45,000 low-income multifamily units across the state. By comparing buildings' normalized utility use, WegoWise has been able to identify the least efficient buildings that will benefit most from targeted retrofits.

LEAN is using the results of this reporting to help Mass Save sponsors allocate funds for its Low Income Multifamily program in the upcoming 2013-2015 Massachusetts Joint Statewide Three-Year Electric and Gas Energy Efficiency Plan.

"When the Mass Save sponsors implemented the new statewide multi-family program in 2010, they needed a more effective approach to capture the potential market," said Barun Singh, founder and CTO of WegoWise. "Our platform helped them identify the least-efficient buildings among all those eligible for funding, so they could prioritize energy efficiency projects and make the most of their budget. Since our platform has helped to identify more than $137 million in savings over the past year alone, they could confidently invest more."

The WegoWise platform automatically collects utility data much like Mint.com, then normalizes and compares buildings by energy intensity -- for example, BTU per square foot -- and building characteristics. By presenting the information in visually compelling charts and graphs, WegoWise helps building owners quickly identify their least-efficient buildings where energy retrofits will reduce costs the most. Since 2010, WegoWise has developed the world's largest multifamily utility database, covering 10,000 buildings representing 150,000 residential units and 644,000 utility bills over more than 157.5 million square feet of space across the United States and Canada.

WegoWise is the sole benchmarking tool used by LEAN to identify underperforming buildings and prioritize energy upgrades to maximize cost savings. After WegoWise identifies energy retrofit candidates, LEAN works with the Mass Save sponsors, qualified auditors and developers to complete the projects.  

"WegoWise has been instrumental to how we operate," said John Wells, co-chair of LEAN. "Now that we can capture total energy/water usage for multifamily properties, we can be far more strategic about our energy efficiency retrofits and generate cost reductions. By identifying large energy users, we are able to allocate our resources to have the greatest overall impact for low-income residents who need it the most."

About WegoWise
WegoWise provides an industry-leading web-based utility analytics platform for the building-performance industry. Bridging big data and energy efficiency, WegoWise distills large aggregations of energy and water data into useful, actionable information for building owners, managers, energy auditors and building efficiency programs, enabling them to automatically track, understand and benchmark building performance, and make better efficiency investment decisions. WegoWise's platform regularly identifies impressive opportunities for cost savings, as inefficient buildings typically pay four times the utility costs of efficient buildings. Learn more at wegowise.com.

About Mass Save®
Mass Save® is an initiative sponsored by Massachusetts' gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers, including Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, The Berkshire Gas Company, Cape Light Compact, National Grid, New England Gas Company, NSTAR Electric and Gas Company, Unitil, and Western Massachusetts Electric Company. The Sponsors of Mass Save work closely with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to provide a wide range of services, incentives, trainings, and information promoting energy efficiency that help residents and businesses manage energy use and related costs.

About LEAN
LEAN (Low-Income Energy Affordability Network) is the Low-Income Multi Family Housing Program Implementer. Using WegoWise, it helps prioritize developments with high-energy usage and developments where a planned renovation or energy upgrade offers a significant opportunity to obtain cost-effective energy improvements. Learn more at leanmultifamily.org. 

SOURCE WegoWise