Case Study: Washington & Lee achieves 30% energy reduction and 34% carbon emissions reduction with Atrius' BuildingOS

How Washington & Lee Built a Culture of Sustainability while Centralizing and Automating Energy Data

Washington & Lee University, a private liberal arts college with a historic 430‑acre campus and 200+ buildings, launched a campus‑wide energy conservation program in 2011 but faced challenges from legacy systems, scattered data, and time‑consuming manual meter reading. Energy specialists needed a way to centralize complex building data, verify setbacks without nightly audits, and secure stakeholder buy‑in while preserving occupant comfort amid erratic building use patterns.

They implemented BuildingOS to centralize energy data, create easy‑to‑read dashboards for building managers and students, and automate daily verification of setbacks. The platform also enabled student competitions and move‑in dashboards that translate usage into dollars. As a result, W&L cut energy consumption by more than 30% and reduced carbon emissions by 34%, even while expanding the campus by 250,000 sq ft.

Washington & Lee

Jane Stewart

Energy Specialists