How OpenBlue is modernizing energy and equipment management at a historic research campus

For 136 years, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL, or the Laboratory) has helped shape modern biology through groundbreaking work in genetics, cancer research, neuroscience, plant biology and genomics. Today, that work depends on nearly 90 buildings across New York’s Long Island, ranging from state-of-the-art research laboratories and conference facilities to administrative offices and housing.

At the center of that portfolio is the Laboratory’s North Shore campus, where buildings that date back more than a century continue to support some of the world's most advanced scientific research.

As the Laboratory recently embarked on a major campus expansion, facilities leaders saw an opportunity to rethink how they manage CSHL's portfolio. Rather than simply doubling down on an existing patchwork of outdated and disconnected systems, they set out to create a connected digital foundation. The aim was to move from a reactive approach to a more predictive, data-driven model of facilities management.

In a recent conversation, Steve Monez, Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer at CSHL, described the operational challenges facing his team and explained why they selected OpenBlue to connect systems, streamline workflows, improve energy efficiency and optimize equipment performance.

Making manual processes and data silos a thing of the past

CSHL relies heavily on manual processes to collect, organize and analyze facilities data. This approach makes piecing together a complete picture of campus operations almost impossible.

"Facilities operations is data-driven, but having access to that data takes a lot of time and is very manpower intensive," said Monez. "We really don't have the time to be able to tell a complete story."

The challenge extends beyond data collection. Over time, the Laboratory has accumulated a variety of disconnected technology systems.

“We have a CMMS program, our work order systems and our maintenance request system. They’re old and antiquated,” said Monez. “Events that we hold on campus might require seven different departments, all of which operate on a different type of work order system. There's nothing communicating across the platform, and that makes things unnecessarily difficult.”

Building a connected campus

Those inefficiencies came into sharper focus as CSHL prepared to launch Foundations for the Future – the largest campus expansion project in the organization’s history.

“The problem we were facing is that we have about 400,000 square feet of new space coming on board with fire alarm, security and building automation systems that may or may not tie into the existing systems and the other 82 buildings we have,” explained Monez. “We had to start thinking about integrating technologies for what we were about to build.” 

Their search ultimately led Monez and his team to OpenBlue.

"When OpenBlue was first presented to us, what really captivated me was the ability to capture data that's already running in the background and pull out information that's actually relevant," Monez said.

The combined capabilities of OpenBlue digital solutions – like Central Utility Plant Optimization, Net Zero and Equipment Performance – would enable CSHL to bring building automation, security, fire protection, work orders and other operational processes all under one umbrella.

"We wanted one system and one technology partner," added Monez.

The result will be a single digital foundation that gives Monez and his colleagues greater visibility into how buildings are performing and where operational improvements can be made.

Putting energy first

That connected digital foundation opened the door to a wide range of operational improvements. For Monez, however, the "low-hanging fruit" was energy. With roughly $5 million in annual utility costs and metering only at the campus level, he knew that even relatively small efficiency gains could translate into meaningful savings.

CSHL had limited visibility into how individual buildings were performing. Building-level metering and analytics offer an opportunity to identify inefficiencies that have been difficult to pinpoint while creating a foundation for broader improvements in equipment performance and facilities operations.

"We're metering every building," Monez explained. "We're going to feed all of those meters – our historical electric, natural gas and fuel data – into the platform, overlay the automation systems on top of that, and use that information to help us understand where we're having issues in real time."

That new level of visibility is already starting to deliver results.

“We’re looking at, conservatively, 6 to 7% of savings on electricity, natural gas and fuel,” Monez said. “But we know it’s going to be more because we will learn our facilities better and get ahead of the curve on what the issues are with our buildings.” 

Rather than relying solely on periodic utility reviews, facilities teams can begin asking much more targeted questions.

• Why is one building consuming more energy than another?
• Why did equipment performance suddenly change?
• Is a recurring issue the result of an operational problem or the early warning signs of equipment failure?

Those questions become much easier to answer when all the underlying data is automatically collected and harmonized in a single source of truth, in real time.

Moving beyond reactive maintenance

Improving energy performance is only one piece of the puzzle for CSHL. Monez and his team also see an opportunity to support broader organizational goals by identifying potential problems before they impact occupants, building systems or critical research environments.

“Right now, we don't have a good view into what's going on in some of these spaces,” said Monez. “We usually wait for people to call and tell us, ‘It's too hot’ or ‘It's too cold.’”

While that reactive approach can create disruption and compromise occupant experience in offices, classrooms and residences, the consequences can be far greater in research laboratories.

“If a lab is too hot or cold, that can put research at risk,” Monez explained. “You're talking about millions of dollars of research over the life of that project. That's a lot of time and money lost.”

By providing real-time visibility into building systems and equipment performance, OpenBlue can help the CSHL facilities team identify emerging issues sooner – whether they involve environmental conditions, equipment faults or other operational anomalies.

"OpenBlue is giving us real-time insight into systems," Monez said. "It's going to allow us to know when an issue is coming up so we can get ahead of it."

Ultimately, Monez sees that improved visibility enabling a broader transformation in how the laboratory manages its facilities.

“We're going to become more predictive rather than reactionary,” he explained.

Supporting science through smarter facilities

Every improvement to the Laboratory's facilities – whether reducing energy consumption, optimizing equipment performance or improving operational visibility and efficiency – serves a larger purpose: creating an environment where researchers can focus on discovery rather than the infrastructure that enables it.

"Ultimately, all of this is about supporting research. The better we understand our facilities and how they're being used, the better we can support the scientists working across the campus," Monez said.

By partnering with OpenBlue to establish a connected digital foundation, CSHL is positioning itself to manage its property portfolio more intelligently and help accelerate progress toward the scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow.