Table of Content

THE CHALLENGE

Managing 54 commercial properties means managing 54 different sets of problems.

HVAC failures were the most expensive. A system failing in a fully occupied office building means unhappy tenants, emergency contractor fees, and repair bills that dwarfed what planned maintenance would have cost.

The facilities team had no early warning. Systems ran until they stopped. Maintenance crews got calls from building managers who got calls from tenants. By the time anyone investigated, the damage was already done.

Energy costs were climbing too. Degrading HVAC units consume significantly more power before failing completely. Nobody saw it coming because nobody was watching.

With 54 properties spread across 6 cities, manual inspection cycles couldn’t keep up. Monthly site visits caught problems that had been building for weeks.

THE SOLUTION

Milvian deployed IoT sensors across HVAC systems at all 54 properties, feeding real-time performance data into the Aqueduct platform.

The platform monitors:

  • Temperature variance across building zones
  • HVAC runtime patterns and efficiency ratios
  • Power consumption against performance benchmarks
  • Refrigerant pressure and airflow indicators

When a unit starts degrading, the pattern shows up in the data days before the system fails. Facilities team receives an alert, schedules a repair visit, and fixes the problem before any tenant feels it.

No existing equipment replaced. Sensors connect to what is already installed.

IMPLEMENTATION

Sensors deployed across all 54 properties in phased rollout. High-occupancy commercial buildings prioritized in first phase.

Baseline performance profiles built for every HVAC unit across the portfolio. Platform learned normal operating patterns for different building types, seasonal load variations, and occupancy schedules.

Alert logic calibrated to flag genuine degradation while filtering out normal fluctuations.

Facilities team and property managers given dashboard access. Maintenance contractors integrated into alert workflow so response happens immediately on notification.

Full portfolio live on platform within 90 days of project start.

RESULTS

1. 62% Reduction in Emergency Callouts

Most HVAC issues now caught and resolved during planned maintenance windows. Emergency contractor rates applied to a fraction of previous callout volume.

2. Early Degradation Caught Before Failure

Platform flagged units showing abnormal power consumption and runtime patterns. Maintenance teams repaired or replaced components before full failure. Tenants unaffected.

3. Energy Waste Identified Across Portfolio

Several units running at 40% above normal energy consumption due to degraded components. Fixed through planned maintenance. Energy bills dropped across those properties.

4. Tenant Complaints Eliminated

Comfort complaints from tenants dropped significantly. Building managers stopped fielding emergency calls on weekends.

5. Maintenance Costs Shifted

Emergency repair spend shifted to planned maintenance. Same work costs significantly less when scheduled rather than reactive.

6. Portfolio Visibility in One View

Facilities director monitors all 54 properties from single dashboard. Knows the status of every HVAC system without calling individual building managers.

TESTIMONIAL

“We used to find out about HVAC problems when tenants called. Now we know about them before the system fails. That shift alone changed how our entire facilities operation runs.”

— Head of Facilities, Commercial Real Estate Portfolio